Upon the Horizon
by EVWTForever
Summary: Bella is a princess who never gets the chance to live. One day, she decides she wants to change that status and something unexpected happens. She meets someone, but what's so different about this mysterious person that she has no idea about?
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything! Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight related characters/plots in this story!! The other characters and plot lines are mine, however, unless they somehow end up like another story that I haven't read! If so, I don't own whatever it may be, but the author would! There, now that that's done, on with the story!**

**Prologue/Introduction **

The sky was alight with the evening sun. The clouds simply glowed with its fading light. Sunset. The best time of day, in my opinion. I never got to spend time outside to feel the sun, to absorb its warmth, so I cherished the times when I could at least stop and absorb and study it.

I was always either at home or in school. No middle ground. One way or another. You see, my parents are very important people, you might say. Well, to be less cryptic, they're the king and queen of Scandinavia. Yes, we're American and all, but my parents travelled here many years ago, and then bam! They were the king and queen. Sudden, huh? I guess they were in desperate need of someone or some people to lead their country. I know, I never understood it, either.

To get back on track, my whole life has been…sheltered, I should say. I've never been allowed to do _anything _without someone in this house knowing, whether it is my mom, my dad, or one of the guards. We had a lot of them. I mean, why wouldn't we? You never know if someone was going to try to do an Abraham Lincoln on us, now do you? So we're better off safe than ten feet under.

We live in a beautiful white mansion on the countryside of Sweden. We used to reside in Norway, but it ended up being slightly more dangerous for us, and we just didn't like it, so we moved here. There are about eight rooms in our house, as far as I've counted, and five and half bathrooms. The half being without a shower. There are three floors to our house. The bottom floor is known as the main floor, which has a ballroom, a game room, the kitchen, dining room, a library, and a living room. I know, spacious.

The next floor up has four bedrooms, all about the same size, which is about two normal sized bedrooms combined, and three and a half bathrooms. All of those rooms are used as closets or as guest rooms. One is currently a closet, filled with winter stuff, or summer stuff, depending on the season, and the other is a guest room. The third is a study for my dad, and the other is a study for me. My mom shares with my dad when she needs to, which is hardly ever. We all have computers in our rooms, so we only use the studies for work, or in my case homework.

The last floor has my room, which is facing the back side of the house, my parent's room, and then my older brother's room. The other room is used for all of his stuff. He always says he can never have too much stuff. Ugh. Only my brother could be such a pig! I swear, all he does is get stuff for the pure enjoyment of it, and then shoves it either on the floor in his room, which is extremely messy, or in the room right next to his, which is the smallest room in the house. So you could say it's a closet. He's a good sibling otherwise, though. I'll always love him, no matter what.

My room is my favorite part of the house. It holds everything I hold most dear to me. My books, my CD's, my bed, my stereo system, my baby blanket, and my window. I spend endless hours just staring out the window, wondering what the outside world is like. It's always either been doing stuff at home, or going to private school for me. I am a decent student, getting straight A's, but I never really made friends or did any of that during school, as normal, public school goers do. I feel like I'm going to work, actually, instead of school. There was hardly a difference. No fun, just learning was all I did at school.

Now about my family. There's my mom, Miranda. She's very easy going and temperamental. Also very motherly. She never lets either me nor my brother out of her sight for more than school time. It gets frustrating, believe me. She's mid height, with slightly wavy, mid length brown hair and brown eyes. She's average sized, to. Not too skinny, not fat. Just in-between. Then there's my dad, John. He's also laid back, but more serious than my mom is. He's hardly ever home, but when he is, he is usually in his study. He is a good dad when he gets the time to be, I guess. He has dark brown, almost black, hair with blue eyes. Last is my brother, Ben. He's extremely…childish. He's four years older than me, and yet he acts like a twelve year old! He has short brown hair and blue eyes. He's also very tall and somewhat muscular. Oh yes, and then there's me. I'm seventeen years old. I have brown hair also, but longer than my mom's, and brown eyes like hers, to. I'm about mid height and built like my mom, to. You can definitely tell she's my mom, though our faces are totally different. That, and my skin is pale and hers is a normal tan. I take after my dad in that department.

Out of my whole family, I get along with my mom and brother the best. They're both just so easy to talk to sometimes. Well, sometimes with my brother, almost all the time with my mom. There are just some things neither one of them understand, though. I also have a cat named Midnight. She's a black cat, with white paws, a white stripe down her stomach and a white strip down her nose that makes a slight blob on her forehead. She's just a kitten yet, seeing as I just got her on my birthday, which is September 13th.

I do have cousins and such like that, but I haven't seen them since I was about eight. I never really liked them too much, anyways. I'd always wished I could make at least one friend outside my family, but I just don't have the time to do so. Oh, by the way, my name is Isabella Marie Swan, princess of Scandinavia.

**A/N: I finally got to writing the story! This is all i'll have up for a little while, so I can work on my other one, to. I'll update as fast as I can! I'll be reading Breaking Dawn, to, so i'll be somewhat busy! Please review and tell me how you think it is so far! Pretty please! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm still not Stephenie Meyer! By the way, the places in this story probably aren't real. I made them up, and I have no idea what Scandinavia really looks like. Just an FYI.**

"Bella, get down here!" My mom yells up the stairs. Ugh, lovely. What did she want now? I had to study! I headed downstairs as slowly as I could. My mom was in the living room with my dad, both sitting side by side on the couch.

"Yes?" I ask.

"We want to talk to you about school." My dad answers.

"What about it?" I ask cautiously. Getting my dad mad was never a good thing to do.

"You're failing gym." My dad answers, slightly angry. Of course he'd be angry by my gym expertise.

"Okay…so?" I ask.

"So? SO? How could you say that? How could you possibly not care about failing a class, let alone gym?! You disappoint me, Isabella!" My dad says furiously.

"Look, I'll try harder. I'm not good at sports, okay? I'm not Ben." I answer.

"You better try harder. As the princess of Scandinavia, you have a title to withhold! Now, go up and do your homework and study for your tests. You will not fail any more classes, especially gym." He says in a harsh authorative tone. I glance at my mom, who's conveniently looking at the floor, and walk back up to my room, fuming. Boy, what I would give to get out of this house once in a while!

In my study, I get back to my tests and homework. I only had a little bit left, so I knew I would be bored in a couple minutes. I finish my homework, and go back to my room. Through doing my homework, I was thinking of what to do to change my current status of never leaving home before and seeing the real world. It wouldn't be easy, but I might be able to pull it off…maybe. Some of my guards were nice. Maybe they'd let me go…fat chance, but I had to hope.

I only had a little bit to decide, and it had to be no or never. I pushed up the courage and decided I would go tonight, right now. I grabbed some baggy clothes, sunglasses (even if it was night, I couldn't be recognized at all) and I tied my hair back. That would have to do for now. I grabbed my cell phone off my dresser and then opened my window. I was so nervous. This was my first time leaving the safety of this house, or the school. I took a deep breath and hopped out the window. It was high up, but I didn't really think about that. I held back a scream as I fell. I hit the ground….hard. It hurt, but I didn't break anything, so I continued my little expedition into the night.

I snuck outside my gate, sneaking by two of the sleeping guards, and headed out into the city. It was only about a ten minute walk from my house. I walked as fast as I could, trying to get there faster. In about eight minutes, I was within view of the city. Wow…it was beautiful!! There were lights everywhere! It was….unimaginable!

There were people everywhere! People and cars! It was so loud! I loved all of it! I walked on the somewhat busy sidewalks towards most of the shops. People glanced at me a couple times, deciding that I was very weird, I assume. I didn't care. At least their thoughts weren't 'she's the princess!' Thank god for that!

As I passed, I took off my sunglasses. It was dark enough that no one would know anything about me, besides the fact that I was a girl. I still wore my hood, though. I couldn't be too comfortable out here.

I passed a couple of shops. Clothes, jewelry, hair salons, nail salons, ice cream parlors and diners. All were so magnificently designed! I then passed a book store. Wow. So many books! We might have a library of our own, but it was only filled with books of knowledge and none of fantasy or fun in the least. I wanted to go inside, but the sign read 'closed' in big, red letters, so I couldn't.

I moved on down the sidewalk. I didn't see too many women out here, which I found very odd, but didn't bother thinking about too much. Why ruin my only chance out? I ran my hands along the brick walls, trying to memorize the feeling. I felt so…free. Free of the constant parental vision, free of the ever piling homework, just _free._ It felt like the best thing in the world to me!

I started feeling slightly afraid towards the end of my little rendez vous. Dark figures were everywhere. All looked looming and dangerous to me. I just shook it off and kept walking, making sure I imprint all I saw and heard into my brain. The feeling of foreboding never disappeared, though. After a while, I started feeling like I was being watched or followed. I glanced around me. There was nothing. I just kept walking.

As I continued walking, the feeling never left, but got worse or more pronounced. I finally couldn't stand it anymore and turned around. Three figures were following me. They stalked a few feet back, but made sure they were in sight of me. Oh god! What was I going to do? Fight them? I'd hardly learned any self defense. Talk my way out of it? Not a chance. Pepper spray? Didn't have any. Run? How could I? I wasn't great at gym, so how could I be at running? Oh god, oh god, oh god…

They were getting closer, so I went with running. I ran as fast as I could, hearing them running after me now. I was hyperventilating with both fear and exhaustion. It had to be about eleven o'clock by now. Oh god! I was dead meat when I got home! If I got home…

They were gaining on me, but I couldn't run faster. I just couldn't. During my frantic run, I realized that my hood came off, revealing my whole face. Did they know who I was now? I got up to another street and leaned against a brick wall, trying to conceal myself. There was no point, but why not at least try? God only knew what these men were going to do to me…I looked around again, panting loudly. I couldn't see them, but I didn't think that meant a lot. God, I was such an idiot! Why would I leave my house, when I knew the outside world wasn't safe? Why would I make such a terrible mistake? For freedom. I knew that, but how could it be that important, that I couldn't just wait for a guard or someone to take me? How could I?

All of a sudden, the three figures were right in front of me. I didn't even have enough breath to scream, as one of the three clamped his hand over my mouth. They all laughed at my noticeable fear.

"Lookie here! We've got us a good one tonight! The princess of Scandie!" The one with the deepest voice said evilly. I squirmed, trying desperately to escape.

"Right you are, Joe! Lucky we are! What should we do with such a fine thing? Not the usual, of course! She's more important than that! No, she needs more than that…the royal treatment, I think we should put it!" Another one said in the same tone. The third one seemed to only be interested in staring at me with a wicked smile on his face. Finally, that one spoke.

"She's mine. I know exactly what to do to her…" He says maliciously, his voice the highest of them all, but still masculine, and all the men laugh with him. The third one came towards me, a knife in one of his hands. My eyes widened at that. What have I done to deserve this?

He replaced Joe's hold on me, and held the knife against my throat, hard enough that I could feel the blade, but not enough to leave a mark.

"You'll do anything I say, won't you?" He says, his eyes still glinting maliciously. I don't respond in any way. I just try my hardest not to meet his gaze. He pushed the knife deeper into my throat. This I knew left a mark. I could feel a cut breaking open and starting to bleed. I closed my eyes.

"Then you'll die." He says in an offhand tone. I squeeze my eyes more tightly shut. He pushes the knife even further into my neck, the pain blinding, then everything stops. The pressure is gone, my neck bare, excluding the cut with blood now sliding out of it. I felt queasy. I never liked the sight nor smell of blood. My sight blurred slightly as I looked for the reason of the absent pressure. I blinked and my vision cleared enough to see a man attacking the three stalkers. His every move was graceful, yet dangerous. I couldn't help but watch.

As all the men hit the ground, I found myself doing the same, but at a much slower pace. My vision was blurring again when the man came up to me. His eyes looked coal black. I must've been delusional. He bent down, getting a closer look at me. Mostly my neck. Then, in one sudden movement, he scooped me up into his arms and started running with me. His body was freezing! I'd never felt someone so cold! He was also ghostly pale. I was pale, but he was even paler. I had color to my cheeks, when he did not. I couldn't see his face, but knew it was more beautiful than any one I've ever seen before.

He stopped running. We were now at a park far from the city. He set me on a bench and turned away from me. His posture showed that he must be thinking. I tried to sit up, but in swift movement, he was there, holding me down.

"Don't move." He whispered. His voice was so angelic, so velvety. It was amazing! I froze at his voice and had no intention not to listen to him. I lay back down, trying not to stare at him. He had returned to his earlier position not facing me. I stared up at the sky. If I died right now, I didn't think I'd really care. As long as the last image in my head was of this man.

He turned around again, this time, his expression was frustrated. I closed my eyes for a second, wondering why he was frustrated with me, then opened them and almost had a heart attack at the sight I saw. He was right there! Right in front of me. So close! Close enough that I could touch him... I got rid of that thought instantly. I shouldn't daydream about men I didn't even know.

"What were you doing out here? You could've gotten yourself killed!" He said suddenly, his voice full of anger, but still angelic to me.

"I…I was just…" I couldn't finish my sentence. I was on the verge of tears, and I knew if I said anymore, I would start sobbing uncontrollably. He didn't wait for any more answer than that.

"Stay here." He said. Then he was gone. I felt abandoned and…disappointed? Did I already feel that attached to someone I didn't know? So foolish. I sat up, looking around. I was at a park for sure. There was a swing set and a tall metal slide. I tried to stand, but felt extremely dizzy when I did. I wasn't sure if this guy was coming back, so why wait? He told me to stay, though…

Then he was back, right in front of me again. His arms caught me as a swayed. He put me back on the bench, his expression disapproving.

"Why didn't you listen?" He asked, meant as a rhetorical question. I sighed in response. He laid me down on the bench and pressed a cool cloth against the cut on my neck. It felt good! The cloth was warmer than his hands, which also felt good.

After a while, he removed the cloth, which was now covered with my blood. He seemed to be holding his breath the whole time. I was curious why, but not bold enough to ask.

"Where do you live?" He asked me. He doesn't know who I am? Or was he being polite?

"Um…2418 Westerberry Avenue…" I answered almost automatically

"Ah…" He answered, glancing at me. "You're the princess, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately." I say unevenly.

"Let's get you home, shall we?" He asks. I nod and he lifts me back into his arms.

"I'm not taking any chances with you." He says in an offhand tone.

He carries me at a fast walking pace back to the city. I was wary of the city now. I glanced around, my hands tight on this strangers shirt.

"Nothing will happen to you anymore tonight. I do suggest that you never go out here at night again, however." I just nod, and he looks at me. His eyes were no longer black, but a topaz gold color. It was pretty, I must say.

After about seven minutes, we were in front of my house. I'd been dreading this the whole walk.

"Do you trust me? I can get you over the gate into your room without waking anyone. I know you'd prefer it that way, but I must ask." His older century voice stated.

"Y…yes, I do…thanks…" I stutter out. He smiles slightly, whether at my words or my stupidity, I did not know. Then, before I could blink, we were over the gate right under my window. My eyes widened for a second, then went back to normal. This man could not be human. He just couldn't. He was too fast and elegant to be a mere human. He jumped up to my window, without me telling him which one it was, and landed swiftly on the floor right inside of it. He set me down on my bed.

"You are safe now. Take my advice and stay here. Especially at night." He said, and his tone darkened slightly.

"I will…" I was curious to what his name was. It was a sudden curiosity, but I really wanted to know, now that I thought of it. He watched me, sensing my unasked question.

"Before you ask your question, would you answer one of mine?" He asks.

I blush. "Um…sure…" I look up at him fully in the face for the first time. God, he was beautiful! He was like a Greek god!

"Why were you out tonight? What could possibly propel you outside in the middle of the night, knowing that danger lies out there?" He asks.

"Um….I just…I've…I've never been outside my house and school before, so…I was curious…it was a now or never kind of thing, and I wasn't thinking…I didn't know there was that much danger out there. I knew there was some, but not like that…" I trailed off, feeling odd.

"Ah curiosity. It gets the most of us into the most trouble. Never let your curiosity do that again, now that you know the consequences." He says in an authorative tone.

"I won't." I say, feeling like a child talking to an adult after she just got caught doing something wrong.

"Now, you had a question?" He asks, his eyes wary.

"Yes…what is your name? Where did you come from? I swore I was going to die tonight…" I ask, trying to keep it in more than one breath. His eyes tighten for a moment, and then he sighs and answers.

"I was just out wandering around tonight and I happened across your little…situation. I'm not one to tolerate such actions." He answers.

"You didn't answer all of my question…but, you don't have to, I suppose…" I say, feeling very stupid for how I must sound to him.

"You answer the same thing for me first." He states. I look at him questioningly, and then answer.

"My name is Isabella, though I do prefer Bella." I say, like I've done before with teachers and students.

He nods. His eyes still wary, he finally answers my question. "My name is Edward." I nod, to. We just look at each other for a while, then he closes his eyes and stands up.

"I should go. Remember what I said." And he is gone. I watch the window for a few seconds after he leaves and then I finally recover and decide that I should go to sleep. I change into my pajamas and climb into bed. That night, I dreamt of Edward.

**A/N: Please review! I'm trying to write two stories at once, and it's proving pretty hard! By the way, there's a new poll up on my profile! I'd like it very much if you could give me some insight! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own any Twilight related stuff in this story still!**

In the morning, I woke to my brother's face.

"_Bella!!_ Get up! We're going to be late!!" He says poppily. Ugh. Morning people.

I groan. "Why do I have to get up?" I ask, trying to get back to sleep. I didn't like waking up from my dreams of Edward. After dreaming of him, this was not the face I wanted to see.

"Um, school? Jeez, what did you do, get drunk last night? You were so quiet…wait, what were you doing last night? It didn't look like you were in your room…" He trails off. Oh shit! Did he know? Quick, I told myself, lie!

"Um…I was probably in my study…I had a couple things to study for…" I say uneasily.

"Whatever. I looked in your study, and you weren't there. Why are you lying to me? Where were you? I mean, you couldn't of gone far, with all the guards and stuff. Believe me, I've tried….and failed, so many times…so where were you?" He asks.

"I guess it was my lucky night last night, because I had no trouble at all getting out…" I mumble. He looks at me, a shocked expression now pasted on his face.

"You…got out? Where did you go? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?!" He exclaims.

"It's not so bad when there are random angels out and about to protect you…I went into the city, okay? I wanted to get out so badly, though! And it _was_ wonderful…" I trail off, now wanting him to know any more than that. Especially about the attack.

"Bella! You've never made bad decisions before, but you do now? What is going on with you?! Why put your life in danger now, for the dumbest things in the world?!" He was mad. I'd never seen him like this before in my life! He's always been so happy and carefree and childish, but now? Wow, I was in really deep this time.

"I was just curious, okay?! God, I just wanted to see what the city was like! How is that a crime? " I exclaim.

He ignores everything I just said. Oh god, he was looking at my neck! Damn! His face was now contorted in shock and fury. "Bella…what…what _happened?!_" He asks, his voice showing exactly what his face did.

"Nothing of great significance." I mutter. He just stared for a couple seconds, then a new expression came onto his face; pure rage.

"Who did this to you? I swear to god, once I find him…" His furious expression remained, if not grown worse.

"It's fine. Someone already beat you to the punch, anyways." I say nonchalantly.

"What?! What the hell are you talking about?" His voice was now outraged.

"A…person stopped them from killing me…he fought them off me, and then he helped me get away from there and he fixed my neck…" I trail off, getting a fresh replay of yesterday's events in my head as I recited them out loud.

Ben's featured calmed slightly, but not all the way. "Who was this….savior of yours? Did you know this person?"

"Well….no," I say, and then quickly add. "But he was really nice, and he didn't do anything to hurt me! All he did was help me." I say reassuringly.

He sighs. "It was a guy? Are you sure he wasn't just trying to…" He trails off suggestively, but he couldn't have gotten any more out, with the sound of shock that came out of my mouth.

"NO!! Oh my god, no!! He's not that kind of person, Ben! Oh, god! Gross!! How could you even think that?!"

"You sound like you know this person pretty well. I was just thinking like any other guy on this planet would, sis. Calm down." He looks at me suspiciously.

"Well…I…I don't know him that well, but he was nice, and he hardly ever even looked at me, unless he had to and such…there's no way that he would ever…" I trail off again, now breathing heavily. "He's not like that, end of story."

"Why are you talking like that? You act as if you know him better than anyone, and then you freak out of the littlest things said about him! What is with you, Bells? I've never seen you like this before." He says worriedly.

"Nothing's with me, okay? I just don't think you should judge people at first glance." I explain quickly. That's all I needed right now was for my older brother to know I had some unknown and unexplainable feelings for this guy. If only I'd had these feelings before!

He scrutinized my expression for a little bit, then the confusion left his face as comprehension and slight shock appeared on it.

"You…you aren't lying, are you? You weren't…like, meeting someone last night, were you?" He asks slowly.

"No, I'm not lying," I say shortly, and then murmur, "There's no one for me to meet."

"I wasn't…I just wondered, because of the way you talk about this guy, it's as though you…like….like him or something," He explains quickly. "Look, we have to get to school. Well, _I _have to get you to school, so let's get a move on." He instructs, then leaves my room for me to change.

As soon as he left, I broke down into tears. It was so weird! Not the crying, but the fact that I felt so strongly for someone I didn't even know! There was a huge chance I would never see him again, anyways, so why let my guard down and feel this way? I knew that I liked him, but not to t his extent. It was when Ben said that, that I realized the extent of my feelings. It was all so confusing and nerve wracking! I remembered that I had school and started getting dressed.

I met my brother downstairs, hoping to god that he didn't say anything to our mom. My dad wasn't home, as usual, so that was one thing I didn't have to worry about right now. I was glad to find that he didn't tell my mom…yet. I knew he would eventually, though. He saw me come down, and stepped away from my mom. He was looking at me funny. That stupid worried look remained on his face.

I lead the way out the door. I could hear his soft footsteps as he followed. I climbed into the passenger seat of his truck and waited patiently until he climbed in the driver's side. He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. When we got to the gate, the guard gave him a thumb's up and opened the gate for him.

He said absolutely nothing on the way to school. It worried me. When we got there, he parked on the left side of the school and made no move to bid me a good day at school or say goodbye. I started to get out, but he grabbed my arm, holding me back.

He pauses, and then sighs. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you, or why you're acting so weird, but what I do know is that you're different. You're not the same as you were before five o'clock yesterday. You're acting…odd…I don't know how to describe it…like you like someone or something…Look, you don't have to tell me, but I think you should tell _someone._" He finished, not seeming to have gotten what he wanted to say exactly right.

I close my eyes, thinking what to say. I didn't really care if I was late to school; I'd have to deal with my dad about gym again later, anyways. I sighed and opened my eyes again.

"Ben…why do you think the way I feel and act is a bad thing? Maybe it's…healthy? I mean, I've been completely numb and quiet my whole life, and now things are slightly different and you're _worried?_" I ask, my voice getting a little high pitched at the end with hysteria.

He shakes his head slowly. "Bella…it's not that. You know it's not that…I just…I don't know….it feels weird to have you feel this way…I never imagined…" He trails off, having trouble with finding the right words.

"You never imagined…I would…fall for someone? You imagined I'd always be alone? You don't think anyone could possibly like me…?" The end of my sentence is almost completely obscured with my sudden cries. No, sobs. How could he think that? I mean, I always thought that, but _him?_ I knew it was hopeless…

"No!! Bella, that's not what I mea…." He starts quickly.

I just shake my head, opening the door quickly and run out of the car, tears still spilling down my face. Instead of going to my locker or my first class, I went to the girls' bathroom. I picked a stall, closed the door and continued crying, trying to be as discreet as I could.

The first bell rang, but I didn't even move. What was the point? I just stayed put for a while, thinking. What was the point of living life, when you were alone? When you were never allowed a normal life, freedom and a family that doesn't judge you according to your grades and academic achievements? Seriously, what was the point?

After a while, I decided I might as well go to class. The dismissing bell for first period rang just as that decision was made. I left the bathroom, heading towards my third period class. On my way there, I saw five people huddled near the lockers in the hall. They were all immensely beautiful, for what I could see of them. The sides of their faces, just their backs, either way you could tell what they looked like. Hell, you only needed a glimpse of them to come to that assumption! But it wasn't just their beauty that caught my attention and made me freeze where I was. No, it was the familiar face in that crowd that did that.

The Edward from last night was in the middle of the crowd talking quietly, an unfathomable expression on his face.

**A/N: All right, there's another short ish chapter! The next one will be in one of the cullen's points of view (most likely Alice's). It won't be the whole chapter, but probably half, or if it gets too long, then it'll be it's own chapter. It'll be pretty short. Okay, well please review! I love reviews! Also, if you could be so kind as to answer my poll, that would be awesome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything!**

**Alice's Point of View:**

"I'm going out for a run." My oldest brother, Edward, stated. He's been doing that a lot lately, so it didn't surprise anyone. Carlisle nodded, as did Esme. Jasper was hunting in Canada with Emmett, and Rosalie was fixing her nails, and occasionally fixing her hair as well. She was so superficial. Edward was out the door before I could respond. I was about to go ask Rosalie to go shopping, when a vision came to me suddenly.

_Three g_uys _were pinning a girl against a brick building._ _Then, as one held a knife into her throat, Edward came and fought all of them off of her. When he was done, he carried her away from there. _

Then the scene transformed to a later time:

_Edward was talking to this girl at her house, in her room. I could now see the girl was a brunette, and also the princess, Isabella Swan_. _They were unconsciously close to each other, which Edward noticed and left immediately. That and he didn't want her to find out too much about us. _

Then, the scene transformed again:

_Edward and Isabella were standing together in the middle of a meadow. He was holding her close to him, watching her lovingly. After a while, she turns towards him and they kiss…_

The vision finally ends, and I let a smile creep onto my face. Edward's been alone for so long and now he falls in love with Isabella Swan, the princess? This was the best thing that could happen to him! He's always been the odd one out, and now he would have someone! This was excellent! I had to tell everyone immediately!

"Carlisle! Esme! Rose! You'll never guess what I saw!!" I exclaim eagerly.

"What, Alice?" Rosealie asks, annoyed. Carlisle and Esme walk into the kitchen, which is where I was when I had my vision.

"Yes, dear?" Esme asks in a calm tone. Carlisle simply gave me a look to continue.

"All right, so I just had a vision. Actually, vision_s_. They were all of Edward…and a girl!" I exclaimed. They all looked at me, shocked expressions alight on their faces, then their faces changed. Esme looked extremely happy and excited like me, Carlisle looked just plain happy, and Rosealie seemed slightly happy, to. I was too excited, so I had to continue! But before I did, I was bombarded with questions.

"Who is this girl?" Esme.

"What exactly did you see?" Carlisle.

"Is she pretty?" Of course, Rosealie.

"Okay, the girl's name is Isabella…I believe she goes by Bella. I saw Edward saving her from three men in my first vision, them both at her house in her room talking in my next, and them together in a meadow in my last." I said animatedly in one breath. I completely ignored Rosealie's question.

"Wait…so this 'Bella'…does she like….fit in with him? Like can you imagine them together?" Rosealie asks. Ah, a question I can answer!

"Yes! They fit very well together! Oooooh, this is going to be so awesome!!" I exclaim again, now jumping up and down.

"Calm down, Alice! We don't need you jumping too high and through the roof!" Esme said with humor in her voice.

"Hold on….she's human, am I correct?" Carlisle asks.

"Yes…?" I ask, confused.

"Then Edward must have to struggle with his bloodlust for her, mixed with his feelings for her. This will be very difficult for him, even with his exceptional self control." Everyone nodded in agreement. Even with the bloodlust, I knew that it wouldn't matter. They'd fall in love no matter what the consequence. Edward came home later, his mood very much improved from earlier today. He didn't talk to any of us, but went over to his piano and started writing another song. We all smiled, Esme with tears in her eyes. We all turned away, trying to make ourselves busy again, to make sure we didn't stare.

**In the Hallway:**

We had finally gotten Edward to talk about Bella. Oh god, did he talk about her! He would go on and on about how she looked, acted, and smelled! He said he scent called to the monster in him, but also the man in him. He said it was unexplainable. Emmett and Jasper were just hearing about all this now, so they were slightly confused and surprised. I'd explained things to them earlier today, but they didn't understand it fully until now, when Edward is talking so fondly about her. He could read in their heads how they felt and what they thought, and glared at them.

After a little while, I finally got up the nerve to tell him about my visions. I brought them back up in my mind and showed him everything. His facial expression stayed the same until the last vision, when it turned to one of shock and so many other emotions, but the most dominant was…happiness? That hadn't been an emotion any of us had seen out of Edward for a century!

After I finished show him my visions, he shook his head, thinking.

"Are you sure about this, Alice?" Edward asks quietly.

"Of course I am!" I say indignantly. "Why wouldn't I be?" I ask.

"Because some of you visions don't always happen." He states, then a look of concentration comes onto his face. After a second, he looks up, across the hall. Standing there is Bella. She looked horrible! Like she'd been crying. I glanced at Edward, questioning in my mind why she was crying. He seemed to be wondering the same thing. Bella walked away quickly when she noticed that we noticed her. Edward sighed.

"I have absolutely no idea what to do around her! This is so _new_ to me!" He exclaims. I smile.

"Just be yourself, and rely on instinct." He looks at me, shocked. "Not that instinct, you idiot! You are so obtuse sometimes! You know what I mean! Your human instinct will kick in when needed, trust me." Edward sighs again and walks off towards his class.

"Get used to this, guys. We'll be getting a lot of it for a while." I say to everyone else, and they all nod and we walk away from each other to our next classes.

**Back to Bella's POV:**

He noticed me staring and a look of confusion came over his face. He probably wondered why I'd been crying. I quickly looked away and started walking again quickly. My classroom was pretty close, so I didn't have to walk far. I got in my class, and took my seat in the back. A couple seconds later, one of the girls from the short crowd around Edward came into the classroom. She had short, spiky black hair, and was short and pixie like herself. She seemed very hyper and jumpy, to. She pretty much danced into the classroom, she was so graceful. I immediately pointed my eyes downward and started doodling in my notebook.

After another couple of seconds, I felt a presence near me, and looked up. Standing right next to my desk was the pixie like girl. She had a smile spread wide over her face. I was so shocked that I didn't say anything. She laughed at my expression, her laugh like bells.

"I supposed I surprised you a little, didn't I? Well, I'm Alice!" I regained control and started to introduce myself, but she stopped me by continuing her talking. "Oh, I already know you! You're Bella Swan." She smiled, but there was something in her smile that seemed evil to me. Was she planning something deceitful or something?

"So…umm…" I trailed off. I didn't really know what to say to her. I wanted to ask her why she was over here, but I didn't want to be rude, so I was confused, to say the least. She seemed to get what I was going to ask, though, and didn't seem offended at all.

"Oh! I came over here to ask you if you wanted to sit with me and my family at lunch today!" She asked excitedly.

"Um…" I was nervous by this. I didn't really know any of them, so I was naturally a little skittish.

"Oh, don't worry, they'll love you! I'll see you at lunch! I'll be waiting for you outside the cafeteria!" And with that, she dances back over to her seat in the front. Her desk was the closest to the door.

"Okay…" I mutter. Looks like I was having lunch with Edward's and Alice's whole family today. Lovely.

As soon as class ended, Alice was gone before I could even get all my stuff packed up. I still didn't get how their whole family just got to our school, and it wasn't even the first day! It was the second week of school, for god's sake! In a way, I didn't really care. I headed to my last class before lunch, still feeling nervous as hell. Once I got there, I spent the whole class period trying to prepare myself for lunch. It just wasn't happening.

The bell finally rang. That evil bell! I'd been dreading it throughout the whole period. I grabbed all my stuff, and made my way to the cafeteria as slowly as I could. Once I got there, I saw Alice was there waiting already. I sighed and walked over to her.

"Hi Bella! Come on, let's go!" She smiled and started tugging me towards the cafeteria.

Once we were inside, she went over to her siblings and talked to them for a little bit. Edward's eyes were focused on me the whole time she was talking. I went through the lunch line and got what I wanted, paid, then walked slowly over to their table. Alice met me half way, and dragged me over to the table.

"Okay guys! This is Bella!" She said excitedly, then continued. "Okay, let's see…you already know me…you know Edward…this is Jasper." She said, pointing to the blonde haired guy, who smiled at me. " This is Rosealie." She pointed to a super model like blonde girl, who just waved her hand, looking at her reflection in her compact. "And this is Emmett." She said, gesturing to a big muscular guy who would've been frightening, but his facial features told otherwise, like he was the gentlest person on the planet. Instead of just nodding or something, he stood up, walked over to me and picked me up into a big hug. I couldn't breathe!

"Um…..Emmett…I can't breathe!...Air…!" I gasped. He chuckled and set me down.

"Hi Bella!" His booming voice sounded across the whole cafeteria. I smiled at him, murmuring a 'hi' myself. I sat down the end of the table next to Alice, way too self conscious to sit anywhere else. I noticed that they all had food, but weren't even looking at it. Didn't they eat? I ate my lunch slowly, hardly ever glancing up, while everyone else carried on their own conversations. I hardly even noticed when Alice started talking to me.

"Bella! You have to go shopping with me and Rose! It would be so fun!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. Oh great. Shopping. The most evil word on the planet! I couldn't tell her no, though, so I was about to answer, when my phone rang. I always had it with me during school, but only for emergencies. I paled at the thought of why someone was calling me.

"Hold on…' I say to Alice, who looks disappointed that I couldn't answer her right away. I looked at my phone's caller ID before I answered it. It was my mom's cell.

"Mom? What's wrong?" I ask fearfully.

"Oh honey!" My mom answers hysterically. "It's…it's your brother!'

"What about him, mom? I need to know now, before I get in trouble for having a phone in school…" I trail off, starting to get hysterical, to.

"Oh baby, he got in a car crash just about an hour ago! He's at the hospital now…we don't know if he's going to make it!" She starts sobbing at the end, which brings tears to my eyes.

"But…he….I…" I stutter.

"I've got to go, baby. I'll see you at home. Don't worry…"

"No, mom! I have to see him!! Which hospital?" I say quickly and hysterically.

"No." She said with finality, and then the phone went dead. I closed it without really realizing it, then let it fall onto the table. I also hadn't realized that I had stood up some time during my chat with my mom.

I was so hysterical that I didn't even care that a lot of people were looking at me. I didn't care about anything but my brother at this point. I was faintly aware that I was crying. I also heard Alice's faint voice speak.

"Bella? Are you okay?" She asks worriedly. I could feel everyone else's worried stares, pity in their eyes. I didn't answer. I couldn't. In the next second, I realized that I was losing consciousness and falling backwards, blackness overcoming my vision. I also remember two cold arms shooting out and catching me as I fell.

**A/N: I finally finished this chapter! I was working on my other story, but this one is getting more views, so I gave up working on the other one, and went back to this one! I'm not fully giving up my other story yet, but no one's looked at it, so i'm not sure i'll continue writing it until after i'm done with this story. Ah well. We'll see how the poll turns out, which reminds me to remind you to vote in my poll if you could! I would appreciate it very much! Oh, and please review! I will never stop loving reviews!! EVForever**


	5. Chapter 5

**Still not Stephenie Meyer**

I awoke in the nurse's office. It was very bright. There just had to be florescent lights everywhere in this school, didn't there? You'd think that since this was the nurse's office, there'd be incandescent lighting, but _no_, it had to be like the rest of the school! Ugh! I only had my eyes the teeniest bit open for a second, before I shut them tightly again.

Besides the light, I could also feel something cool stroking my arm, and occasionally my hair. It felt _really_ good to my slightly overheated body. I decided to open my eyes again, and see what the sensation was. I opened them slowly, making sure to squint, and then when my eyes were adjusted to the light, I opened them as wide as normal.

My vision was blurry at first, but got better after I had my eyes open for a minute. When my vision was clear, I could see both Edward and Alice on either side of my bed, seeming to have a silent conversation with each other, from the way that they were staring so seriously at each other. I then realized what the sensation was. It was Edward's hand stroking my arm and hair occasionally. I tried extremely hard to hold back my blush, but only exceeded to an extent.

After about another ten seconds, they both seemed to realize I was awake, and both looked at me at the same time. Alice smiled.

"You're finally awake! Jeez, you've been out for about thirty minutes and twenty five seconds!" She says in her normal poppy voice. She also sounded slightly relieved. I looked at her questioningly.

"You kept track of the time I was unconscious down to the second?" I ask her, not bothering with my other question. It was Edward who answered, though.

"That's typical of Alice. She tends to do that for almost anything. It's quite annoying sometimes, actually." He says, smirking at his sister. She stuck her tongue out at him, which made me smile. It reminded me of how my brother and I acted. My brother…

"Oh my god, my brother! Has my mom called at all while I was out?!" I ask worriedly. Alice answers.

"As a matter of fact, she did call. She said that your brother's going to be okay, but he'll be laying low for a while. I answered when she called. She was surprised you didn't answer, and asked where you were, and I told her you passed out. She pretty much freaked, for lack of a better word. She kept asking if you were all right and if she should call the hospital or anything. It took me about ten minutes to reassure her that you would be fine in due time, that your mind just wanted a break from all the stress and the news you just found out. It was just too much for your mind to handle." She paused, thinking of anything else that needed to be said. "Oh, and she'll probably be calling in…about a minute or two. She's still frantic, I'm guessing." She finished exasperatedly. I sighed.

"My mom's always been like that; she's too overprotective of us. She freaks out over the littlest things…" I trail off, not really wanting to say more. I felt relieve that my brother was okay, but also weird, because of everything that had happened today. First my little chat with my brother, then seeing Edward and his family in my school, meeting Alice, sitting at their lunch table, and then fainting! What was _wrong_ with me? Why was I such a wimp, that I had to faint when things became stressful? That, and how could I possibly deserve to be anywhere near these extremely beautiful people, especially Edward? They were way too good for me.

Edward was now looking at me, scrutinizing my expression. I don't know what he saw, but apparently he didn't like what he did. His expression changed to slight anger.

"Your face is very easy to read. You're putting yourself down, blaming yourself for everything. Why? You've done nothing wrong. Fainting is just a way for your mind to give itself a rest, just as Alice said. There's nothing wrong with that." He said seriously.

"My mind must be very weak, then. Nobody else would faint just at one piece of information!" I murmur, but say a little louder toward the end.

Edward shakes his head, taking my head in between both of his hands. "All minds are different. That doesn't mean that yours is weak! Do not talk about yourself that way! Ever! I won't allow it!" He says furiously. I close my eyes, holding back tears.

"But…I…" I start.

"No. _Never_." He says seriously, his eyes locking with mine. His eyes were a liquid golden color now. It was intoxicating. I couldn't look away. A single tear trickled out of my eye. He caught it before it could get past my cheek bone with his finger. I wanted to hug him, to be in his arms, so badly then. I couldn't do it, though. I didn't know if he felt that way about me. My heart sunk slightly as I finally broke my gaze from his and directed it to the ceiling.

"Look at me." He advised. I looked back down slowly to meet his gaze and was surprised. He was much closer than before. Only inches away from me. My breath caught in my throat as his hand stroked through my hair. "Bella…" He said softly, saying my name like it was a gift from god or something. I glanced around to see what Alice was doing, and realized she wasn't there anymore. I was stupid enough to kill our closeness and ask where she went.

"Where'd Alice go? She was just there, wasn't she? Maybe she wasn't, and my vision's going…" I babbled. Edward sighed, pulling back slightly.

"She left about a minute ago." He answered simply, in an unrecognizable tone. I nodded.

"She must've gone to class, then." I said, but made it sound like a question. Edward just nodded, seeming distant now. I just closed my eyes and leaned back, directing my gaze back to the ceiling. A second later, the nurse walked in.

"Hello Isabella, dear. How are you feeling? You seem a little better now." She recognized. I nodded, not really wanting to talk. When I looked back over at Edward, he wasn't there anymore. He must've left when the nurse came in. _His whole family must walk very fast, _I thought. I let the nurse check me out, then she said I could go to my last class of the day.

I walked slowly to my last class, which was biology. What fun. I made it there two minutes later, and sat down in the back. When I got back there, I saw that the usually empty seat nest to me was now filled. Not only filled, but filled with Edward. My heart could've leapt right out of my chest right then and there I was so excited. I was so glad he was talking to me, it was unbelievable! I thought, after the night he brought me home, that I would never see him again, and now I just realized that he _was _talking to me, and actually went to my school!

I sat down and said nothing. If he wanted to talk, I'd let him. There was no point in making him talk to me, now was there? I just sat and listened and took notes to whatever the teacher said, not really caring in the slightest what he said.

Neither of us talked the whole period. When the bell rang, he was out of there before I could even grab all of my stuff. I was disappointed, but I wouldn't show it, of course. I just walked out of the classroom and down the hallway to my locker. I opened it and a note fell out. It was written in a permanent marker. It read: **He Won't Save You Next Time.**

There were smudges all over the paper, and the paper was also dirty, telling me it was written outside. My attackers? How could they possibly know I went to this school? How? I started hyperventilating, but calmed myself enough to put my stuff in my backpack, slam my locker shut and walk quickly towards the exit. As soon as I got to the school's double doors, I forgot that I didn't have a ride today. I stopped dead. What was I going to do?

As I stood there, pondering what I should do and taking out my cell phone, getting read to call a family member, Alice ran up to me.

"I know you don't have a ride, so you'll be riding with me." She said strictly and led me out to the school's parking lot. I didn't know which car was hers, but then she walked up to this yellow Porsche and I felt my mouth gape open.

"Conspicuous, right?" Alice said, beaming. I knew from that instant, that she loved that car.

"Very." I agreed plainly. She clicked the button on her keys to unlock it. She slid into the driver's seat and waited for me to get in. I jumped in the passenger side and she started driving almost immediately after I put my seatbelt on.

"Edward had something he had to do, so he took his own car home. I know you're disappointed that he's not in here." She stated. I stared at her for a moment, and then finally fully comprehended what she said and decided to just nod. I was still worked up over the note.

"What's with the sudden silence from you? Why do you look so freaked?" She asked me worriedly.

I decided to lie, just to keep her out of my now twisted life. I didn't want her to get caught in the middle of this 'fight'. "Nothing. I suppose I'm just freaked out over my brother, that's all." I said simply, trying my hardest not to sound like I was lying, but I wasn't lying, not really. It was half the truth and that's all I could give her now.

Alice just scrutinized my expression for a minute, worrying me with both if she knew I was lying and her not watching the road. She finally looked away, a calculative look on her face as she looked out through the windshield. She didn't seem to be concentrating too much on the road, even though she was looking at it, but the car never swerved, so I didn't really care at this rate.

We got to the gate to my house and I forgot that I had to let my guard know I got a ride. I told Alice to open her window and she did. I called through it to the speaker.

"Don't worry; she's a friend from school. I got a ride today because of Ben being in the hospital…" I started, but couldn't finish. I say back against the seat, thinking that that would be enough said and I was right. He let us through right after my little spiel. After we got to the entrance to my house, I got out, grabbing my backpack off the floor as I climbed out.

"Thanks for the ride, Alice. I seriously had no idea what I would've done without you." I said thankfully.

"No problem." She said after I shut the door. My window was open, so she could still hear me with the door shut. I smiled, waved once, and started walking away, but her voice called me back.

"Bella, wait…are you sure you're okay? You still seem out of it." Alice said, her expression a mixture of calculating, concentrating and concern. I sighed.

"I'm fine, Alice. Nothing like this has happened to me before." _Nothing, _I thought to myself. Alice nodded, unconvinced, and drove away. I walked into my house, knowing that she probably though my sentence was talking about my brother, when I was talking about the stalkers.

**A/N: I know, took me long enough to get up! I'm sorry! I was reading books, and it's hard to write when I'm reading something, so I stopped writing for a couple days! It'll be like that for another week or so, so I won't be updating immediately, but I should update within three days of each chapter. Please review! I know this chapter isn't that great, but the next ones should be better! Also vote in my poll! I'm taking it down on Saturday!! I really want to know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Still don't own anything Twilight related!**

The house was empty when I closed the front door behind me. I decided to go into the living and do my homework, instead of going up to my study, Since I wasn't allowed to see my brother, I might as well get my homework done, just for something to do. It felt odd being in the house alone, when I'd never been alone anywhere in my life! The help people only worked during daylight hours, so they weren't even here to keep me company. I've always been surrounded by people, so it was weird for me to be here, at home, without anyone here to bug me or lecture me. It was nice, in a sense, but then it was also slightly eerie. Or new, I should say.

It was about seven o'clock when I finally finished all work from school. It was grueling, but I was so glad I was done, that I just made myself forget about the work I just did. I decided that I might as well eat something, since I hadn't eaten very much today, seeing as I passed out during lunch and all.

I went into the kitchen and looked through the fridge. There was a lot to choose from, but nothing I really desired to eat. In the end, I chose an apple and leftover lasagna. I love lasagna, and we didn't usually save food, but since we did this time, I would definitely eat it! Especially since it was lasagna! I put it in the microwave and pressed start. Now I had to wait. Two minutes wasn't a lot, but it always seemed longer than it was.

I decided to walk around the house to see if there was anything I could do, cleaning wise, at least. After walking around the kitchen, I found nothing. Dang! I wanted something to do! I was bored! I checked the microwave, and saw it still had a minute left, so I went into the living room and turned the TV on. After just letting it stay on the channel it was last left on, which was the news, I heard the microwave beep, signaling my food was ready. I stood up immediately, my stomach growling, and just about sprinted to the microwave. Once I got to the kitchen, I tried to slow down, but to no avail. I started skidding across the linoleum toward the marble counter. My breathing got heavy from my mere attempts to stop. I grabbed onto the table, but it was too slippery to get a good grip on, so I kept sliding.

Suddenly, two arms shot out, caught me, and stopped me with a jolt. A gust of air burst from my lungs. I took deep breaths, and then started freaking out over who or what just stopped me from splatting myself against the marble counter. The arms let me go almost immediately after I was fully stopped. I turned around, and saw none other than Edward standing about an inch behind me.

"You can't stay out of trouble for more than a couple hours, can you?" He asks, looking at me skeptically.

"Apparently. It's a habit." I say, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady. After a moment of silence, I finally decide to break the silence. "So…how did you know I was going to meet my impending doom against the marble counter over there?" I asked, keeping out the last part, which was 'were you watching me?' I decided against it, trying not to anger him. I didn't want him to leave, but I was curious.

"I was just in the right place, at the right time." He answered in a monotone. Wow, wait to be descriptive. His gaze never faltered an inch from me. It was kind of nerve wracking. The other scary thing was that my eyes never left him, either. They just couldn't.

"But…" I begin, but he cuts me off immediately.

"No, Bella. It doesn't matter. What matters is how you can almost get yourself killed on a regular basis. I can't leave your side for a second, because in that second, you'll find some way to nearly get yourself killed." He sounded exasperated towards the end. I just shook my head. Did he really think he had to baby sit me? I could take care of myself.

"Just because I'm the princess doesn't mean that I can't take care of myself. I can take care of myself just fine, so you don't have to waste your time saving me." I say, my heart aching towards the end. Why did he bother? He didn't care. How could he? It was me we were talking about, after all. Just plain, average me. I could feel tears start to well up in my eyes, and I finally looked away from him. I bit my bottom lip, to stop it from quivering and giving me away.

After I turned away, I was immediately swept into his arms. I didn't even remember him stepping towards me or making any movement at all. He was just there, holding me, a split second after he was standing an inch away from me. He pulled me close and turned me around, so I was now facing his chest. I moved as close as I could, not letting there be any space between us. I also realized that I must've let myself cry, because I could feel the warm, salty tears flowing down my face. He rubbed circles in my back soothingly, murmuring low and calmingly. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it sounded so calming that I didn't really care. I did hear the end of what he was saying, though.

"…I'm not saving you because it's a duty to me; I'm saving you because I want to…" His low, soft voice murmurs into my hair. My heart soars when he finishes his sentence. He _cares._ He _wants _to save me. He actually cares about me! I was so happy then, that I didn't realize that we weren't alone in that room anymore. A dark figure was standing no more than two feet away from us, in the shadows of the kitchen.

Edward's grip tightened on me, and in one swift movement I was behind him, while he was standing defensively in front of me. I gripped his shirt, holding him close to me. I had to make sure he didn't get hurt. He couldn't leave my side. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him, while I just stood there and watched.

The figure came out of the shadows, standing straight in front of Edward and me. I gripped him even tighter. The guy was very tall, with long blonde hair. His expression was malicious. I didn't even know this guy, and he was after me? Oh great.

Edward looked furious. A growl was now humming from his chest, deep and dangerous.

"Who are you?" Edward asked menacingly.

"That's for me to know, and for you to…not find out." He says sarcastically. An evil grin now plasters itself across his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Edwards asked again, in the same tone.

The guy seems to take a deep breath, taking in all the air in the room. "Ah…that's why…so delicious…so tempting…what a pleasant snack!" He says happily, and moves forward. Edward's growl becomes more pronounced and the guy stops, smirking.

"Don't go _near _her, or I'll rip your throat out!" Edward growls. I still cower into his back. What did any of this have to do with me? The guy was just talking about how good something smelled and eating a snack…maybe if I left, he'd follow me, and leave Edward alone...I didn't know what he was after, but it had to be me, so why not try?

"Don't even think about it. It's not going to work." Edward says and I freeze, thinking he's talking to me. Like he'd somehow read my mind, but I was wrong. He was talking to the guy. But the guy didn't say anything. He was just standing there, looking menacing…I was so confused. I just wanted to go upstairs in my room, lay in my bed and sleep, but I knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"Get out of my head!" The guy yells angrily. He then lunges forward and I let out a piercing scream. I couldn't help it. He was lunging straight at Edward and me! I tried to drag Edward out of the way, but I ended up on the floor a couple feet back. _How did I end up here? _I thought. Oh. Edward must've pushed me back, so I was now a good two feet away. I was in the living room, right next to the couch where I'd been sitting just a couple minutes ago. Edward was now fighting with the other guy, both growling ferociously at each other. I was frozen in fear. I couldn't move, no matter if I was told to or not.

I was still frozen when the guy came soaring into the room, grabbing me. He had thrown Edward a foot back, giving him a second's head start. He was now holding me in a death hold in front of him, seeming to push it in Edward's face that he had me. His grip was tight! So tight, it hurt! I was trying to pry him off me, when Edward lunged into the room, stopping his attack immediately after seeing me being held hostage. He looked at me, holding my gaze. I knew he must've seen fear there for sure.

"Let her go." He said, his voice full of the anger from before, but with a hint of…pleading? I couldn't tell. I was on the verge of tears again, so it was hard to concentrate. That and my being bound with fear.

"And why would I do that? She smells so…_good…_there's no way I'm giving this up!" He said evilly, with a slight laugh at the end. Through is sentence, his hands moved up to my throat, cutting off all air from going in. I started gasping, my eyes full of pleading staring into Edward's.

Edward was furious. He didn't even look like himself anymore. He looked like an animal, filled with rage. Then he leaped forward, snatching the guy's arms off of me, pulling him away. He pulled the guy outside. Once they were both out the door, I fell to the floor, gasping and sobbing. I couldn't believe all of this just happened! I'd never been through so much pain in all of my life, as I had been these past two days!

About five minutes later, Edward walked back into my house, not a scratch on him. He immediately walked towards me and knelt down. I wrapped my arms around him, still crying, but not as hard. He held me tightly for a moment, and then pushed me back slightly; looking me over to make sure I was all right.

"Did he hurt you, Bella?" He asked, his voice full of concern and remaining anger. I just shook my head, unable to form words. I then realized I was shaking. He seemed to have noticed when I did, because he pulled me back into his arms and picked me up, cradling me against his chest. I curled myself up, and let him hold me. He kissed my forehead lightly, his cool lips feeling so good against my now hot forehead.

The next second, we were up in my room. I was exhausted. He laid me in my bed, pulling my blankets over me. Then he lay down next to me, stroking my hair lightly with is finger tips.

"Sleep now, my Bella. You need rest." He advised lovingly.

"Edward…don't…don't leave me…I don't want to sleep alone…" I murmured my voice still scratchy from crying. I was still crying, but only slightly.

"I will never leave you." He promised in a serious tone, and then continued, "Now go to sleep." He advised. I pulled myself closer to him, curling into a ball into his chest and closed my eyes. He starting humming and unfamiliar, but beautiful, tune. It was like a lullaby, but a little different. I found myself lulling more and more into sleep, until I finally succumbed and fell asleep to Edward's soft, humming voice.

**A/N; There! I got done with one more chapter! I won't be writing as much when school starts, which is in a week! I'll probably write either one or two chapters next week, then probably more on the weekends than anything when school starts! Please review! I like to see what people think about this story! EVForever P.s, the Bella cleaning thing may not make sense to you, so i'll explain it. she was so bored and so desperate for something to do, that she resorted to that. Yes, they have maids and stuff, but like it says, they only work during the day, and it was dark out at that point, so yeah. I just thought i'd clear that up.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I still don't own anything! Stephenie Meyer does!**

**Edward's Point of View:**

It was weird to me, the way I was feeling. Such strong emotions! I had never experienced any of them before, so I had absolutely no idea what to do with them! That and the frustration of it all, and the fact that I can't read Bella's mind! It was almost infuriating!

The feelings I had for Bella were so…subtle! It was always when I was near her, that I felt less in control. It was as if her presence had its own orbit, sucking in everything around her, keeping it all at bay. I just couldn't stay away from her! I always felt the need to be near her, to protect her, to just be there for her. It was like a reflex. She was like a drug; I was addicted. What a nice word to sum up the chaos of it all! Addiction!

When I first saw her, it was like I was drawn to her, both by her blood _and _her as a person. It was an odd feeling. I've tried my hardest to stay away from her, but to no avail. Like I've said, I'm addicted. I _need_ her.

Ever since I realized that we both went to the same school, I've been silently watching over her, watching every move she makes. I had to make sure she wouldn't get hurt, by anyone or thing, including herself. Bella was very clumsy, so it was a constant job keeping her safe! And I loved every minute of it.

But there were the bad things. First of all, I was a vampire. I always had to fight myself against her blood. It was always calling to me so evilly, so adoringly, that I could hardly resist. But I've had many centuries' practice. I could control myself. I hoped so, at least. Her blood was so sweet…it sang to me! So constantly…but I would never let the monster inside me hurt her. Never. I knew, in my cold, dead, unbeating heart, that I could never hurt her. She meant too much to me.

I remember hearing Alice's thoughts the day they all got to meet Bella for the first time. She was so upset. I wanted so much to go over to her and take all the pain away, but I couldn't. I didn't trust myself enough at that point. It was so hard to control myself even being that close to her, let alone having her in my arms. After a while, I was driving myself crazy trying to keep myself away from her, so I gave up. Upon giving up, I made myself a vow: I would never hurt her. I didn't care how thirsty I was, or what the circumstances, I would _never hurt her._

So I started to slowly let myself get closer to her, not knowing at all what she thought. It always frustrated me with her immortally silent mind, but what I couldn't hear in her mine, was written all over her face. Every emotion displayed evenly across the plains of her face, so hard to miss, especially with my senses. I still didn't allow myself enough freedom to get too close to her. When I was accustomed to her scent, only then would I allow myself close to her. Only then. But she made it hard sometimes, with her clumsiness, the way she walked, just fast enough to get where she needed, but slow enough to take everything in, her expressions, her observance, and her in general. Everything about her drew me to her, including her blood.

That day in the cafeteria, I was still hesitant. She seemed so nervous, blushing so often, making the monster in me growl in frustration and want. Almost _need._ It was _unbearable._ Jasper was having trouble, to, but was in control enough to send me calming waves every now and again. When her phone went off, I knew it wasn't good. I knew that her parents and sibling would never call during school hours, unless it was an emergency, which it was. Her brother was in a car accident on the way home, his condition severe, but slowly getting better. Bella was heartbroken. I could feel her emotions emanating from Jasper, who was trying his best to control those emotions, but they were too powerful to keep under his full control.

Alice saw that she wasn't okay, but asked her if she was anyways. The look on her face will forever linger in my mind. The look of pure shock, despair, fear and confusion. Her face paled considerably, then her legs gave way, and she fainted. I could see it happening just seconds before it did. I had enough time to run at a normal human pace to get to her and break her fall. I caught her as she was half way to the ground. That moment was the moment I found that I could control my bloodlust around her. My fear and worry overcame it all. I couldn't even smell her blood, even though I wasn't holding my breath. I quickly cradled her to my chest, and carried her to the nurse's office. I knew what to do, but I had to be discreet. Act human.

Once I got there, I immediately laid Bella on a bed. She was so stressed and worried, even in unconsciousness. I almost forgot to tell the nurse why she was unconscious, too busy staring at her, worry thick in my mind and in my eyes. I finally turned to her and told her Bella fainted from stress and having too much on her mind. She just nodded. I asked her if Alice and I could stay, just so she wasn't afraid when she woke up. She agreed blandly, and I remained near her bed until Alice told me, in her mind, of course, that she would be waking up shortly. I waited anxiously, and then she finally awoke, a little confused.

The way she talked about herself, blamed herself for everything, infuriated me. _Nothing_ was her fault! Absolutely _nothing_! But she laid there, blaming herself and putting herself down, over _nothing_! I couldn't help but tell her to stop. I would never let anyone, even herself, talk about her that way! But then I could see tears in her eyes. A single tear fell down her cheek, but I caught it as it neared her cheek bone. I stared into her eyes for a while, then a look of hurt came onto her face, and she looked away, directing her gaze upon the ceiling.

_No,_ I thought, _don't look away from me. Look at me._ I said the last part aloud, and she instantly pulled her eyes back to me. I leaned in closer to her, before her gaze was fully back on mine, and she seemed surprised when she first saw me, but not scared. The normal reaction of most people when they saw us. Fear. No, there was no fear in any crevice of her face. Just curiosity. She opened her mouth to speak. She started talking about Alice, wondering where she was. I sighed and pulled away from her. She must've been uncomfortable without Alice in the room. It made me feel slightly rejected, unwanted. I made sure my face was a plain mask, before looking at her again. I couldn't let her see the way I felt.

The nurse walked in, and Bella turned to her as soon as she started talking to her. I left as soon as her attention was elsewhere. Class started in a minute, anyways. I went straight to class, thinking all the way, when I felt Alice's presence. I sighed, glancing up. She came up to me, disapproval strong on her face. I looked at her questioningly, and she rolled her eyes, thinking her response to me.

_You're such an idiot! Do you know how much you upset her?_ She thought angrily. I answered aloud, of course.

"How did I upset her?" I asked her in a monotone. Nothing she said really caught my attention yet.

_Ugh! Find out yourself! You men…_She trailed off, walking away. I stared after her, befuddled. What did I do? Did my abrupt absence scare her? _Probably_, I answered myself. I continued on my way to class, still deep in though of what I did to upset Bella.

She came into the classroom with two minutes to spare. Her face looked surprised and…excited? Why excitement? She came and timidly sat next to me, not saying a word. We spent the whole period in silence, just half listening to what he teacher was rambling about. The bell rang, and I was out of the classroom just as the bell's sound was just cutting off. I was in my car, with Jasper, Emmett and Rosealie already waiting for me. Wait…where was Alice? Oh yes, she brought her car today. I drove off, the car ride also silent, even everyone's thoughts.

When we got home, we were all in the house in a heartbeat. I went straight to my room, turning on a random CD in my stereo when I got in there.

Alice got home a half hour later, a look of confusion and worry on her face. I asker where she was, and she just looked at me and shook her head.

_Oh Edward, you have so much to learn. Maybe you could find some stuff out on your way of learning. Your first task being to find out what's wrong with Bella. She can be very stubborn._ She thought bitterly, and then walked away. I followed her at the mention of Bella's name. She had my full attention now.

"What's wrong with Bella?" I ask her seriously.

"I would've told you if I knew. I had no visions, so don't even go there." She said in a cold tone. What was making her so mad? She started walking toward her and Jasper's room, but stopped dead half way, and spun around. "By the way, Bella's one of the best friends I've ever had, so don't you _dare_ push her away! You're not the only one who's worried about her!" She said defiantly, and then left instantly. I stood there for a second. This was so odd, coming from Alice. Why was she acting so…defensive? Was Bella's pain so thick on her face, as it was in her future? Why was Alice so attached all of a sudden, anyways? It was all so confusing to me. I'd have to ask her later. Right now, I had a task at hand. I had to see Bella. See what was wrong.

As I neared the front door, Alice grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"I had a vision, and you better hurry!! She's being hunted! She's home alone, so there'll be no one there to hear her scream…" She said, the last part quoting her vision. I saw everything that happened in the mere seconds Alice stood there. First was Bella running into the kitchen, skidding across the floor, and then running into the marble counter. She fell to the floor, holding her side, tears of pain sliding down her face. I could just see a purple, blue and red bruise forming there. Then the vampire showed up. It wasn't one I recognized. He walked in closer to her, and then her future faded.

"NO!!" I yelled and ran out the door. I was at her house within five minutes, running as fast as I could, even at vampire speed. I got there, and into her house, just in time to see her flying into the kitchen. I grabbed her from behind, making sure not to grab too hard, most likely causing the same bruise that would've formed if her future came true. All the air was knocked out of her, but there wasn't enough pressure to physically hurt her. I let go of her instantly, trying not to scare her. She took a slow breath, then turned around to see who stopped her. She looked surprised to see me.

She started questioning me on how I knew she was going to splat herself against the counter, and I just stated that I was in the right place, at the right time. I couldn't tell her my secret. Not yet. I knew she had to know, but not now. She wasn't ready. She kept questioning me, but I didn't give her any answers that were of consequence. Not until she said that she thought I was just helping her, saving her, because it was a duty to me. I immediately grabbed her, not caring about the speed, and held her close to me. I explained to her how much she meant to me. Then _he _showed up. I felt him there before I saw him. I pushed Bella behind me, protecting her.

As soon as he started speaking, it infuriated me. Just the sound of his voice infuriated me! Then he started talking about Bella and her scent, and I couldn't help it anymore. He pounced forward, annoyed that I was reading in his mind his every move, and I threw Bella backwards. She landed in the living room. I fought him, always having the upper hand with my mind reading. He was getting more infuriated by the second. Then, after I took a second to check on Bella, he took advantage of that, and threw me backwards. I landed on the other side of the kitchen. As soon as I was back up, he was in the living room, holding my Bella tightly in his arms.

I rushed in there, stopping when I was near Bella, but not too near that he'd hurt her if I came any closer. I pleaded with him to let her go, and he upright refused, bringing my earlier anger back, instead of the pure worry and fear that I felt earlier. It had been so long since I'd felt fear! I lunged forward, knowing exactly which angle I had to have to not hurt Bella. I snatched both his arms off of her, and then pushed him out the front door. In her front yard, I ripped him to shreds, taking a lighter out of my pocket, and lighting his remains on fire. His stench filled the air. I waited for another four minutes, until he was completely burnt, then I went inside.

I found Bella sitting on the floor, sobbing. I knelt down to her, and she immediately wrapped her arms around me. I placed my own tightly around her, not allowing her an inch away from me. Her cries softened slightly, and I pushed her away slightly, to look her over. I asked her if she was hurt, and she said no. I kept looking at her, until I was sure she was okay, and then I realized she was shaking, and I pulled her back to me, cradling her against my chest. I brought her up to her room at vampire speed, knowing that she must be tired. I laid her in her bed, covered her with her comforter, then laid next to her, stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. She asked me if I would stay, and I immediately obliged. There was no way I was going to leave her house that night, anyways.

She snuggled closer to me, curling up like a child. I held her more tightly, then starting humming the lullaby I wrote for her on my grand piano at home. She was fast asleep a couple seconds later. I smiled, continuing to hum it for a couple more minutes, and then I just watched her sleep through the rest of the night.

**A/N: Okay, I just thought i'd give some background on what Edward has been thinking, though I think it got a little out of hand! I didn't intend it to be a whole chapter long, but i'll write the next chapter tomorrow, and then I don't know when i'll be abe to update again, since I have school on Monday! ): I should be able to update Monday, however, because we don't really do anything the first day. I hope you like this chapter, even if it's just review of everything, in Edward's point of view, and a little more vague. I tried! Anyways, please review! I love getting reviews! They tell me if I should be writing this or not! If I don't get any reviews, then I just figure that the story sucks! Pretty pretty please review! I would love it very much! Okay, this is a very long author's note, but I thought I should at least let you know ahead of time when the updates should be, so yeah. All right, au revoir! EVForever**


	8. Chapter 8

**Nope, still not Stephenie Meyer!**

**Back to Bella's Point of View:**

I awoke the next day to a hissing sound. I opened my eyes slowly, curiously, trying to decipher what the sound was. I decided I might as well sit up, and I did. I looked around my room, noticing first that Edward was still here! I didn't think he'd stay the whole night! The second thing I noticed was my little black kitten, Midnight, hissing at him from her position near my closet, and his in front of my window. I immediately climbed out of bed, and walked over to where my kitten was sitting. I grabbed her in my arms, giving her a stern look.

"Midnight! Don't do that! That's bad!" I chastised her. Her gaze never left Edward. When she finally looked away, she caught my expression and looked confused and a little regretful. I set her down on my bed, sighing, and then I turn to Edward.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should have mentioned I had a kitten. She's never met anyone outside my family and the help, so she might be a little cautious right now." I say apologetically. His expression remains the same; unfathomable. His gaze is still on my kitten, his eyes holding an emotion that I didn't recognize. It might have also been because I couldn't get a good look at his eyes, to. From what I saw, though, he seemed to be calculating something.

"It doesn't matter. Animals tend to not like me." He says in a monotone. I just look at him for a minute, and then decide to go get ready for school. At this point, I was glad that I just naturally woke up at the right time. Otherwise, I would've completely forgotten about school, and probably would've missed it, to.

"Well…I should go get ready…school starts in half an hour…" I state and trail off. He sighs.

"I'll have to go home. Your brother is still in the hospital, so I'll be back to pick you up. You'll have to tell the guard, though. I don't want to take longer than necessary. We don't want to be late." He says, shrugging. I nod, and he leaps out my window. My eyes widen and I run to the window. When I get to it, though, he's no longer there. He'd already gone.

After I'd gotten ready, taking a shower and brushing my teeth and hair, I went downstairs, realizing that nobody was home still. Well, the maids were here, tidying up unneeded things, and I saw the bodyguards were here. I wondered why they weren't here last night. They usually stayed a little while after all the other help. But then again, they were probably all at the hospital with my family, expecting that I'd be there to, I suppose.

I immediately went to the speaker, which was for the guard at the gate and pressed the red button to talk to him. It buzzed once, and I awaited his answer.

"Yes?" He asked, bored.

"Um, yeah. I have someone coming to pick me up…but I'm not sure what the car looks like. It's not Ben, though. I just thought I'd let you know." I said, nervously.

"Name?" He asked, still sounding bored.

"Edward…Cullen?" I didn't know for sure, but I figured since it was Alice's last name, that it was his, to.

"You sure about that?" He asked, catching my questioning voice at the end.

"Yes, I am, now that I think of it. He'll be here in a couple minutes. Will you buzz me when he gets here?" I ask.

"I guess." He states, going back to his bored voice. I sigh, and murmur 'thank you', before I release the button. I walk to the kitchen, thinking that I might as well make a bowl of cereal.

I finished my cereal and put the bowl in the sink, when there was a buzzing sound. It was, of course, coming from the gate's speaker. I knew I didn't have to answer it, so I just went to the door, waiting. After a couple seconds, I heard a car's engine, then a car door opening. In another two seconds, there was a light knock on my door. I excitedly made the short journey to the door and opened it gingerly.

"Hey. Long time, no see, eh?" I said shyly.

"Hello. Shall we?" He asked, gesturing out the door. I sighed and nodded, heading out the door. As I walked out, I realized I forgot my school stuff.

"Oh, crap! I probably need my school stuff! I'll be right back!" I exclaim, and he just half smiles and nods. His face still reveals a slight calculative expression, beneath his smile. I run back into my house.

I grab my bag off the floor, then dig inside of it, to make sure everything was in there. I then remembered that I didn't have my calculator yesterday. It was still in Ben's room. He had to use it for a test one day. I ran up the stairs, running straight to his room. After I got in there, I basically tore it apart looking for it. What I found was not my calculator, but something way more important.

There were little notes all over the floor. All were written rather crudely. I picked one of them up, reading it. It read: **Get me the money, or your sister dies. **Money for what? I found that out in the next note I found. **You owe me for lending you that money! Pay me back, or you know the consequences!! **I stared at the note. Why would Ben need money from anyone? We were rich, for god's sake! The next note I read explained that, as well. **Those dealers would've killed you, if you didn't get them their money! You owe me! I saved your life! Are you that willing to risk not only yours, but your sister's, to? **I stared at this one. Why did this person have to go after me? How did this person know me in the first place? The other notes on the floor were all too messy and ripped to read, so I just settled for the ones I could read. They said enough.

I stared at them in shock, until I felt a presence behind me. I didn't turn around. I didn't really feel threatened, for some reason. Two hands grasped my shoulders, almost protectively, as though they had seen the note.

"We should get going. We'll deal with this later." Edward said sternly. I just nodded. I left the notes where they were, and started walking out. As I was walking out, I saw my calculator sitting on his dresser, mostly concealed under random pieces of paper and books and stuff. I slipped it out from under them, making sure I didn't mess his things up, and then I finally left with Edward, who was waiting for me in the doorway. He put one arm around me, pulling me through the doorway and down the stairs.

As we walked out the door, I noticed what time it was on our big grandfather clock.

"Oh my god!! We're really late now!! I'm sorry!! Oh my god…" I exclaim almost hysterically.

"It's fine. We have to leave _now_, though." He opened my door and pushed me inside. He was in the driver's seat before I could even buckle my seat belt. He buckled his in a heart beat, and then started driving. I hastily buckled my seat belt, finally getting it in by the time we were just leaving the gate.

I found out while riding that Edward drove _fast!_ I thought we were going to crash so many times! Either that or be stopped by the cops! I was clutching the seat for dear life, and when he peaked over, he just smirked, rolling his eyes.

"You know, if we crash I blame it on you." I said fearfully. He chuckled.

"Of course."

We arrived at the school almost right on time, thanks to Edward's driving. I grabbed my backpack. When I looked up, Edward was already at my door, holding it open for me.

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

"Anytime." He said, with his dazzling smile. I was awestruck for almost a minute, completely lost in his eyes, when I finally remembered school. I gasped.

"God, I'm such an idiot! We're going to be even later, if we don't hurry up!" I said exasperatedly.

"We're not late, Bella. Calm down. We won't be late for another two minutes, and that is plenty of time to get all your stuff put away and ready, I think." He said in a matter of fact tone. I sighed. He _was _right, after all. "But, we should get in the school, nonetheless." He added, with a similar sigh to mine. I nodded, and we walked side by side into the school.

Edward and I split up to go to our separate lockers, promising to meet each other in the main hallway. I walked to my locker, not paying too much attention to where I was going, because I was digging in my backpack, making sure I had everything I needed. As I neared my locker, I glanced up, seeing if I was close yet, but found something else. Someone standing in front of my surprisingly open locker. I couldn't see what this person was doing, but I knew it must be either pushing another note in there, or stealing my stuff. I didn't really have anything in there, anyways. Just the usual books and extra school supplies.

I walked forward cautiously, trying to keep my mind straight for more than a few seconds so I could figure out what to do. The guy was now seeming to get done with his 'task', and was about to turn away. I had to do something!

"Hey! What are you doing to my locker?!" I asked loud enough for him to hear. I was down the hall a little ways, after all. He looked up, grinned maliciously, and then ran down the hall the opposite way. I heard the door open and close rapidly as he ran out of it. I stood there, shocked, for a couple seconds, before my brain finally recovered from its shock, propelling me forward. I was cautious now. I didn't want something to like jump out at me, or anything. I bit my bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. I stood about two feet in front of my locker, only slightly closer. I was too scared. I knew that it could just be a note, but what if it wasn't? I didn't want to take chances.

I was still in that same spot, just staring at the wall, when two cool hands clasped my shoulders. I gasped, and turned around.

"Edward! You scared the crap out of me!" I exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I was wondering why it was taking you so long. The bell already rang, you know." He said worriedly, reading the expression on my face, but not commenting. Yet, at least. I answered before he could ask about it.

"Oh crap! I can't believe I didn't hear the bell! I'm so dead when I get home!" I exclaim, hoping he doesn't question me further. How wrong I was.

"What are you hiding from me?" He asked me suspiciously. Crap, crap, crap! I looked away, so he couldn't read anything on my face anymore, but he turned me back around to face him with pure ease.

"No. You _will_ tell me." He said strictly. I just shook my head, directing my eyes to the floor. I just couldn't tell him! I knew he'd probably react really badly. But, then again, it wasn't like we were together or anything, so why shouldn't I show him? He was just being nice…

He pushed my chin up, so I would look at him. I found myself trapped in his golden eyes. Those were some really cool looking contacts, I had to admit. He even had black ones sometimes, to. He seemed to smell the air sometimes, but that couldn't be. Why would he do that? His expression changed after a few seconds. He now looked furious. He let go of me, and went over to my locker. I made an objective noise to try to stop him, but stopped. I couldn't stop him.

He had my locker open in a heart beat. He peered inside, then reached in and pulled a piece of paper and an envelope that looked full of something out.

"Who put this stuff in here?" He asked me furiously. I was on the verge of tears now. I didn't answer, afraid he'd get mad at my lack of information. He walked over to me, wrapped one arm around me, after freeing that arm's hand by putting the letter with the envelope in the other hand, and pulled me back until I was pushed against the wall opposite of my locker.

"Tell me." He ordered.

"I…I don't…I don't know! I didn't recognize the guy…but…" I stopped, not wanting to go any further.

'But what? Has this happened before?" He asked, his voice rising slightly. He made sure I couldn't look away from him.

"Um…not….not _exactly_…I mean, there was a…a letter, but no…envelope…before…" I whispered, scared by why he was getting so mad. He pinched the bridge of his nose tightly.

"_Why _didn't you tell me? You truly are a danger magnet…" He calmed down slightly, letting go of the bridge of his nose. He looked at me again, his gaze penetrating into mine. "You have absolutely no idea who did this? Not even an assumption?" He asked seriously.

"Well…I think…I think it might've been someone from the gang….from the gang that attacked me that night…" I said in a cautious whisper. He growled.

"I should've known. Don't leave my side today." He instructed tensely. I just nodded.

"What's in the envelope?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Heroin." I stared at him in shock.

"Why did he put…heroin…in my locker?!"

"So the school would think it was yours, and you would get in trouble for it and be expelled. Then they would get an easier shot at you, outside of school…" He growled the last part, his face menacing. I shook my head, wandering over to my locker at last. I wasn't afraid of it anymore, now that Edward had already gotten the stuff out of it.

"Wait." He said, and he was by my side when I turned my head slightly to the side.

"There's nothing else in there, is there?" I ask.

"No, but I do want to see the first note you were given." He stated.

"Oh…" I reach into my backpack, taking it out of the front pocket. I hand it to him without a word. After a second of looking at it, his eyes grow furious again, his posture stiffening in anger. A low growly emanated from his chest.

"You will _definitely _not be leaving my side, as long as they're around." He said angrily. I just nodded, not particularly opposed to the idea at all.

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long! I'm in a lot of honor's and AP classes, and they involve a lot of reading and notes and stuff! I probably won't update for another week, but I thought i'd get this out now, seeing as I said I would get it out on Sunday, but didn't get to it! I'm sorry! Please review! I love them so much! I know this chapter's not the best, but it will get better in due time, I promise! I'll try my hardest to update, but i'll probably update more on the weekends than weekdays, just to let you know. Okay, yet again, please review!! EVForever**


	9. Chapter 9

_i'm still not Stephenie Meyer, as much as I would love to have her skills! _

Edward walked me to my class, making sure I wasn't but a centimeter away from him. He wasn't lying when he said that I wasn't leaving his side, that's for sure. It was so weird of how he was so protective of me. I wasn't used to that. I found that it felt…right. Like it was supposed to be this way. I knew he cared about me, but were we officially 'together'? That I did not know.

The day went by pretty fast, which was a first. I didn't talk a lot the whole day, though that wasn't new. There as nothing to talk about, but plenty to think about. Edward didn't ask me to say anything, either, but I could tell it was eating away at him, not knowing what I was thinking about. I didn't get why he got so frustrated with my thoughts. I mean, it wasn't like anyone else knew them, either. We were both walking to biology when he finally cracked.

"Bella, could you please say something before I lose my mind?" His voice was pleading, like he really would lose his mind. Odd.

"Sorry. I've just been thinking is all. I tend to get lost in my thoughts." I say mechanically. His eyes bore into mine for a second, then he pulls me aside, heading towards an empty space in the hallway. We had been near the classroom door. We stopped next to a drinking fountain about two feet away.

"All right, now tell me why you're so worried." He advised. I just stared at him, not really knowing what to say, or how he knew I was worrying again.

"It's just…those guys…they won't give up, will they? They won't stop until they get revenge…on both me and my brother…I can't let them do that…I can't…" He cuts me off.

"Bella, they're not going to hurt you. I won't let them. I promise. Nor will they hurt your brother, for that matter. They won't even get close to either of you." He said sternly, then muttered, "…they won't even get a chance to think about coming after you…." I shake my head.

"But how? How could they not?" I mutter, knowing he could probably hear me.

"Because…" He said. His voice was full of unease and indecision. What was there for him to be undecided about? He just shook his head and continued on. "I can't tell you…not now…Bella, do you think anyone would mind if you came over to my house tonight?" His sudden question surprised me.

"Um…I doubt it…why?" I ask.

"So I can answer your question. It's not to be discussed in public…" He glances around. "We'd better get to class, before we're late again." I nod, and follow him, trying to think what he could possible have to tell me, that he couldn't say around people. Well, everyone does have secrets, after all.

We got in the classroom right as the bell rang. We both headed to the back and sat in our assigned seats, neither of us uttering a single word.

After class, we both silently left the classroom, heading towards my locker, seeing as he didn't need to go to his. I was still wary of my locker, and took Edward's presence as a relief. I opened it slowly, putting the necessary things in and taking the necessary stuff out, then closed my locker and headed towards the parking lot doors with Edward.

He pulled me over to his Volvo, and we both realized that Alice was waiting there next to his car for us.

"What, Alice?" Edward asked in a slightly annoyed tone as we neared the car.

"You know perfectly well what! Don't sound so happy, Edward!" She huffed, glaring at him.

"Could you please just tell me what you want, so we can go?" He asked irratatedly

"I wanted to inform you that it will be all right. But the gang members are planning on acting soon, so be wary of your surroundings." She advised, then glanced at me, comprehension flickering on her face. She added, "Oh, and I head them planning that when I came outside. They were standing right over there." She stated, pointing over to beside the parking lot doors. I sighed. What fun it was to have stalkers intent on my death!

"Nothing's going to happen." Edward tells me sternly.

"I know, but this is all so stupid! It was one night, for god's sake! Ugh!" I exclaim, then a thought comes to me. "Oh crap! I haven't been in contact with my mom since like a day ago! I have to call her!" Edward looks at Alice, who sighs, then speaks.

"Bella, my dad's a doctor at that hospital, and he already told me that your brother's doing fine, but will be admitted for another day, just in case. Your parents are fine as well. Just a little anxious for his recovery, like you." She stated in a monotone.

"Oh, okay…" I say. Alice knew _a lot!_ Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me over to his Volvo, talking to Alice along the way.

"I hope you're right."

I buckle my seat belt again and then we're off. He still drives at insane speeds, and I find that I don't mind as much anymore. I just sit back and wait to arrive at his house. After five minutes we're there, surprisingly. I would never have found his house on my own! There were so many trees, that you could hardly see his driveway! He pulled up to the house and parked his car. He was around at my side holding the door open before I could get my seat belt off all the way.

"Thanks." I say. He just nods and leads me into his house. I suddenly feel nervous. I'd never met the rest of his family, excluding Alice, before. Not totally, at least. I've seen them, but not gotten to know them. I stop walking, taking a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" He asks me worriedly.

"I'm...f...fffine…I'm just….rrrrree..eeallly nervous…iissss ….allll…" I chatter out.

"Don't be nervous. My family already loves you." He says, smiling warmly. I try breathing solidly, failing miserably. He puts his arm around me, comforting me by rubbing my back in circles. It felt good, and it _was_ helping. I sighed, feeling more content now.

"Okay, I'm okay now…well, less nervous…let's just get this over with, _before _I start hyperventilating!" I say, walking forward. He nods and follows me, resuming his leading a second later. He was a pretty fast walker sometimes!

We got to the front door and he opened it carelessly, his attention fully on me. _Okay, get ready for introductions_, I tell myself, trying to mentally prepare myself. His family is assembled in the living room, close to the door. I start feeling hysteria again, and Edward rubs circles on the back of my hand. I manage to keep myself from shaking. A beautiful blonde male walks up to us, his expression serene and inviting.

"Hello, Bella. I'm Carlisle. It's very nice to see you again, outside the hospital." He says kindly, with a light smile. _Answer, you moron! _I tell myself frustratedly. I realize I recognize him. He was my doctor! I had him the many times I managed to hit my head on something!

"Hello, Dr. Cullen. It is nice that we meet outside of the hospital! I rather hate it there…" I mutter. He chuckles.

"I can't agree with you there, but I can see why you'd think that way; it's different to be a doctor there than a patient. You can call my Carlisle, by the way."

"Carlisle. I'll remember that!" I say, smiling. I felt less nervous now, though I still had a couple people to go. He chuckled again, moving to the side to reveal a beautiful auburn haired woman. Her eyes were so kind…motherly.

"Hello, dear. I'm Esme." She smiles warmly at me. None of them approach me, which I find weird, but not unheard of.

"Hello, Esme. It's nice to meet you." I say coolly.

"It's very pleasant to meet you, to, Bella." She says, her smile growing. I smile back, feeling less nervous by the second. Edward now introduces everyone else, seeing as no one came forward. Esme moved to the side, along with her husband.

He points to a super model looking blonde haired girl standing next to Emmett. I've seen her before, but didn't find out her name.

"That is Rosalie." She doesn't respond in any way, so neither do I. He then points to the muscular guy next to her.

"That's Emmett." He smiles humorously at me. I remembered him, all right. I hoped he didn't hug me too hard this time!

"Hi Bella! I'm glad you didn't get hurt when you fainted!" He says, laughing. He comes over and hugs me in his tight grip. I gasp for air, laughing slightly myself. He puts me down, laughing.

"Guess I don't know my own strength!" He says, and mischievous glint in his eyes. Edward rolls his eyes, and moves on to the other blonde standing next to Alice.

"That is Jasper." Jasper just smiles slightly and nods. I smile back.

"And you know Alice." He finishes. Alice skips over and hugs me, saying "Of course she knows me!" I laugh, saying "Hi Alice! Long time, no see, huh?" She just laughs, and goes back over to Jasper.

"I suppose I should introduce my parents properly. This is my mother, Esme, and my father, Carlisle." He says. They both smile at me again. I, of course, smile back.

"It's nice to see and meet you all." I say calmly. I then take the chance to look around their house. It was _huge!_ There was a grand piano behind where Esme and Carlisle stood. I stared at it in awe. I wasn't very good at piano, but it was so pretty! I wondered who played it?

Esme sees me staring and explains. "Do you play?" She asks.

I sigh. "Not well. Do you?" I ask.

"No, not in the least. Didn't Edward tell you?" She asks. I look at her questioningly.

"Tell me what?" I ask, turning towards him.

"That _I_ play, I suppose." He answers. I stare at him.

"Why didn't you tell me that? That's so cool!" I say happily. He chuckles, bringing me closer to him. Then he heads over to the piano with me in tow.

"It wasn't really a pressing matter to discuss." He says, sitting me down on the bench next to him. He begins to play, and my mouth immediately falls open. It didn't sound like anything I'd ever heard before! It was so beautiful!

"My god…"I mutter, feeling very touched, for some reason. He was now playing a lullaby sounding song. I was on the verge of tears now. A single tear escapes my eye, and he catches it with his pointer finger.

"Do you like it?" He asks.

"A lot…you wrote it, I'm guessing?" I ask.

"Yes. I wrote it for you." He says, his gaze burning into mine. Shock was clear on my face.

"For…me?" I stutter.

"Yes." He answers simply. I hug him tightly, not caring if I mess up his playing. He stops playing and wraps his arms around me, to. After a minute, we let go of each other and I looked around some more. I noticed that we were now alone.

"Where did they all go? I didn't even see them leave!" I ask, startled.

"They just wandered in various places around the house. They tend to do that. We're all very discreet, as you can tell." He answers.

"But…why did they leave? I'm confused." I ask.

He chuckles. "You tend to be confused a lot! They left to give us privacy, I suppose." He smiled. So did I. I was lost in his eyes, when he finally spoke, breaking me from my sudden urge to move closer…

"Would you like a tour of the house?" He asks.

"Definitely!" I say, standing up after him. He takes my hand, and heads for the stairs.

"We'll start with the upstairs."

**A/N: I'm sorry! I haven't written for like two weeks or more! I've gotten so much homework, so I couldn't just sit down and write! This chapter isn't terribly long, but it has some more Twilightness to it now! She finally met The Cullen's! Next chapter will be more about the gang and their secret after the tour! That may take two chapters, though...well, anyways, please review! I love reviews, even if I don't depend on them to write, I still love seeing what people think! It makes me feel better and encourages me to write more, if I get at least one review! EVForever**


	10. Chapter 10

**Nope, stil don't own anything Twilight related! Stephenie Meyer does! (of course! duh!) **

I found that, during my rendez vous around the house, it was much more luxurious on the inside than the outside! I thought that wasn't even possible, but now I'm proven very wrong! Their house was just so…_big!_ It was amazing how very antique and flowing the house looked!

Edward gave me a brief tour of each of the family members' rooms. Each varied in countenances, but were all the same in a way, to. I couldn't put my finger on how they seemed the same, but they did nevertheless. We got to his room last.

"…and finally my room." He finished, opening the door in a flourishing movement. Now _his _room was different! All those CD's! That stereo system! Wow! No words could describe the way his room looked to me. It was just amazing! The glass wall, the black leather couch…just everything! He smirked at the look on my face. I probably looked like a child on Christmas Day. Lovely.

"It's really that amazing to you? I thought you'd think it quite boring, especially for one who lives in these days and ages…" He trailed off, seeming to want to take back some of his words. I didn't get why, but I didn't question him. It was none of my business.

"Nah, I'm pretty old fashioned, really. I'm not like 'girls these days' in the least. I don't obsess over my looks, at least…" I trailed off, for a sudden thought came to me. I was in Edward's room. Oh. My. God. I was actually standing in the middle of a guy's room! The guy also happening to be Edward was an even bigger heart jolter! I had to try very hard to keep from hyperventilating. Edward didn't seem to notice, deep in his thoughts, but did hear what I said, and answered.

"I don't come across many girls like you every day…they're all so self centered, ignorant if you will, vain and obsessive. It gets tiring…" His face was now calculative. What did he have to calculate? Was he hiding something from me, perhaps?

"Yes, they are…and it gets very old, especially if they don't like you because you're not like that…" I sighed, feeling stupid for my lame response.

"They shouldn't do that." He stated simply.

"Do what?"

"Shun you because you're not like them. It doesn't make sense. It's not quite fair to judge someone from the little information you know of them." He finally looked back at me, then, when he finished his sentence. His eyes still held conflict, but a conflict that seemed like it was being resolved mentally as we spoke.

"Bella…" He continued, "There's something I need to tell you…something you might not fully comprehend immediately. Something you won't want to comprehend at all, most likely. You have the right to know…" He trailed off.

"Okay…what is it?" I asked tentatively.

"It's about my family and I. We're…" He started, then the door opened, revealing Alice, seeming peppier than usual.

"Bella! Edward! I finally found you two! Jeez, I should've known you'd be in here." She stated with a smirk. Edward growled. I blushed deeply. Alice seemed like she had a knack for making Edward's life miserable. I hoped she didn't extend that courtesy to me.

"We did tour the house…" I stated, trying to rid myself of my blush, to no avail.

"Oh, I know…" She said humorously, smiling. "Oh, and Bella? Would you be so kind as to accompany me to my room, so I can show you something?" She asked, trying to be ever so formal and respectful. I wasn't buying it. I glanced at Edward, seeing if he minded or not. He just nodded slightly, all the while glaring at Alice. She stuck her tongue out at him, and raised her eyebrow at me, waiting for an answer.

"I suppose…" I answer slowly. She immediately shrieked, grabbed my hand, and pulled me down the hall, to her and Jasper's room. We both sat down on her bed, both on opposite sides. I decided to sit with both my legs to the side. Alice sat cross legged. She seemed like the very flexible type from the moment I saw her.

"Okay, so I just wanted to chat, but you know you want to, too, so don't try to escape!" She said hyperly.

"But Alice…" I started, but felt too embarrassed to finish. I'd wanted to say 'I want to be with Edward', but that just sounded too desperate for my liking.

"Oh please, you'll see him in a little bit!" She said, as if she were reading my mind.

"Now, for starters, I already know how you feel about my brother, so there's no need to ask that question, but I do want to know something related to that." She paused for effect, then went on, " Would you still like him, even if he wasn't the exact person you thought he was? Would you stop loving him if he was dangerous?" She asked me. I looked at her questioningly, wondering where that question came from. What was she trying to imply? She was totally serious, though, so I answered.

"I…wouldn't care what he was, or how he acted, or what not…I love him for him…the _true _him…" I answered, not knowing what else to say.

Alice smiled. "Good. Now that that's settled, onward to more questions!" She asked, her tone now humorous again. I wondered why she wanted to know that so much. It was odd, I had to admit. With what Edward wanted to tell me, and Alice questioning me, it felt like it all fit together somehow. I didn't know how, though…

"Bella? Hello? Come back from dreamland!" Alice said, laughing at the end. I blinked. I didn't even realize that I'd spaced out!

"Sorry. What did you say?" I said sheepishly.

"I asked if you had ever been with a guy before." She said, her smile still in place.

"Oh. Um…no. Never. Schoolwork is all that matters, according to my dad, so…there is no life outside school for me, basically…" I stated. It was true. Very true.

"Schoolwork is hardly more important than friends and relationships! I should have a little chat with your father. Put him in his place…" She trailed off, seeming to be thinking evil thoughts, by what her expression showed.

"Alice, its best if you don't even know my dad. Trust me, you don't want to…" I say somberly. I really didn't want anyone to have to know my dad. He wasn't the kind of laid back guy they would want to meet, that was for sure.

"Oh come on, Bella! He can't be that scary! All dad's are protective and stuff, but not that bad! You make him seem like if you do anything wrong, he'll hit you for it or something! Please don't exaggerate, Bella." She said rolling her eyes, her tone still full of humor . I looked down at the floor, playing with my hands, when I answered her.

"I'm not exaggerating, Alice." I state simply and monotonously. She just stared at me for a minute, seeming to be slowly registering what I said, then she stood abruptly. She looked mad.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." She said angrily as she left. I didn't even bother asking her why she was so mad. It only happened a couple times. I learned from those mistakes, so I wouldn't be 'punished' anymore. I laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling while awaiting her return. I was also mentally preparing for what I expected would come back into this room; mad Alice, somber Alice, or typical Alice? I did not know. I began counting the indents in the ceiling.

**Alice's Point of View:**

I walked into Edward's room to find him sitting on his couch listening to one of his classical songs. I seriously didn't know why he liked that classical stuff. I thought it particularly boring.

He looked up when I entered the room, knowing it was just me. He seemed none too eager for that, either.

"Edward, there's something about Bella that neither of us knew." I stated, making sure I started out talking about Bella. I wanted to get his attention. It had the right effect. He stood immediately, being by my side in a split second.

"What about Bella?" He growled. Temper, temper. I thought my answer, being careful so Bella or the rest of my family wouldn't overhear.

"_I just found out from Bella that she doesn't just dislike her dad, she has reasons too." _

"And?!" He asked, irritated already. Tisk Tisk. He always had to be so jumpy!

"_And she told me that her dad hit her sometimes when she made a big enough mistake. I could read it in her face that she thought it wasn't that big of a deal. That she deserved it, somehow. So her dad's not overprotective or overbearing, he's abusive. He favors his son." _I finished. Edward looked furious. He pushed around me and went through his doorway and down the hall. I stopped him before he got to my room.

"Edward, no. You're not in control." I say matter of factly. He tries to push around me.

"Edward, you'll hurt her. She doesn't need any more bruises." I state. Those were the key words. He would never hurt her. Never. Even if he had to hurt himself to keep himself from hurting her.

He paused, then was gone in a human's heart beat, the door's slamming being the only give away that he left. I sighed. He was always so difficult. I opened the door and stepped back in my room, all the while thinking of a plan to help Bella out of her situation with her father.

When I got in the room, Bella was lying on my bed, staring absentmindedly up at the ceiling. I cleared my throat, and she sat up immediately. I sat down next to her on my bed, trying my best to be calm and condescending. She still seemed on edge, so I patted her hand.

"Bella, how long has this been going on?" I asked.

"My whole life, I guess. It's not like it's all the time, though." She says quickly. "Only a couple times in my lifetime. He just gets mad sometimes, has too much to drink... or I just be stupid and make the mistake in the first place, so…" She trails off, but I know exactly what she's thinking. I don't have to be Edward to know that.

"Bella, it's not your fault! Mistakes are just that! Mistakes!! You learn from them on your own, not with the aide of being hit! He's your father, and he should never want to hit you, never have to resort to that! EVER! Not even when he's mad, Bella! No parent should do that to their child! Most in the world don't want to! Listen to me, Bella! You don't deserve that! No matter what you do, you don't! Do you understand me?" I was shaking her slightly by the end of my little spiel. I heard Edward hiss in his room. I was glad that I wasn't shaking her too hard. I couldn't killed her if I did.

"Alice…I've never really had a dad anyways…he's always been like that…I'm not used to anything else…I have no idea what it's like to have a caring, nurturing family! Royalty and power corrupts people! I'm so sick of being a princess!" She said hysterically, then started sobbing. I let her lean into me and cry. She needed to cry for once. I patted her back and smoothed circles into it for about ten minutes before she stopped crying. Her eyes were now red rimmed, but she seemed to feel better.

She finally sat up, wiping her eyes and nose.

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's okay. I think it's good that you finally let all the built up emotions out." I advised. She just nodded, so I continued. "Everything will be fine. I'll be here for you, and so will Edward."

"Where is he?" She asks nervously. Her voice was still slightly stuffy.

"In his room still, waiting."

"Does…does he know…?" She asks. I paused. Should I tell her I told him? I might as well. Lying never helped anything.

"Yes, he knows." I stated simply, watching her the whole time, gauging her reaction.

"How did…did he react?" She sniffles.

"The same way I did, to put it simply. Otherwise, I'd tell you to magnify that two times."

She groaned. I smiled slightly.

"Alice…I…I want…" She started. I already knew what she was going to say, but was embarrassed to say, so I interrupted her.

"I know. We'll go see Edward." I told her, leading her by the hand out of my room. She followed obediently.

**Back to Bella's Point of View:**

As Alice lead me to Edward's room, I couldn't help but feel anxious and nervous. How was he going to react? Would he be mad at me? So many questions ran through my mind, none of them the least bit reassuring. My feelings, however, were the complete opposite of my thoughts. I wanted to feel his touch, be in his arms. I so longed for it, and I didn't know why.

We were now outside his door. I took a deep breath and let Alice lead me inside.

Edward was leaning against his wall, staring out the window absently. When we entered, he glanced at us, then was by my side in the blink of an eye, hugging me tightly. I wrapped my arms around him, too, completely forgetting about Alice. I heard the door creak and knew she left.

Edward pulled me over to his couch, pulling me into his lap as he sat down. I leaned my head against his chest, reveling in our closeness and the comfort of it all. I never wanted to leave.

**A/N: I know, this has taken forever! I've been so busy and tired lately, that I just didn't find time to write this! I made sure this was decently long, though, just to make you guys happy! I'm sorry it took so long to write, but i'm afraid that it might take this long all school year, because of homework and stuff. Just an FYI. Okay, please review! I love reviews! Oh, and by the way, I have a new poll up! Please answer it! I also changed my screen name slightly. It's now EVWTForever, instead of just EVForever. Yeah... please review!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yay, I finally got a chapter out! I'm sorry it took so long! I still don't own anything Twilight related! Stephenie Meyer does! **

Edward just held me for the longest time, never once speaking a word to me. His face was unfathomable most of the time, but every so often, when I would look up at his face, many emotions would flash across his face. Those emotions included anger, sadness, pain…and other things I couldn't rightly describe. His eyes never left mine, even if mine left his from embarrassment. I couldn't get over the feeling I got when I stared into his eyes too long. Everything went hazy and unfocused…that and the fact I'd never stared straight into anyone else's eyes in my whole life. Not seriously, anyways. To my utter surprise, Edward sighed, moving me up so I could face him directly without craning my neck.

"Bella…" He started, but stopped. He paused to search for words, but I could tell he was also hesitating, as though what he was about to say could just break everything apart.

"Yes?" I asked tentatively. I didn't want to rush him or anything. That would be very rude and discourteous of me. He just shook his head and started again.

"Why did you tell me?" He asked, his voice still holding a piece of the anger I'd read on his face earlier. He seemed to be struggling to contain it.

"Well…It's not exactly a topic that you just come out and tell everyone, now is it? It's not that big of a deal, anyways. It's not an all the time thing…" I started, but he interrupted me mid sentence.

"It's not a big deal?! Are you insane?! There's no reason in the world that someone should ever be allowed to hit their child, no matter what amount of anger or frustration pushes them too! There's no reason that could ever justify their actions! Never!" He was almost yelling by the end, and I found myself on the verge of tears. I didn't want to make him mad. That would get me nowhere.

"Maybe to you…it's not like I'm your daughter, so you wouldn't know how truly frustrating and angering I could be…"I just shook my head. Why didn't he understand? It was my entire fault! It wasn't that hard to follow! But what I said only angered him more.

"NO!! Damn it, Bella! When will you understand?! When will you understand that your life is worth so much more than you give it credit for?! You've done nothing to deserve that treatment! NOTHING!! Why can't you understand?!" He yelled again, this time clamping his hands on my shoulders and shaking me. He didn't shake me too hard, but even his grip hurt. I could almost feel bruises forming. I didn't say anything, though. This is what always happened. My father would get mad at something I did, then would hit me and I would say nothing the entire time. He must've realized that, for he let go and was across the room before I even looked up. He seemed to be fighting against himself. I didn't understand; why was he acting like this? Why was it such a big deal that my father was a little mean? It wasn't like I didn't deserve it. It wasn't without provocation. He was overreacting.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and stress. I just watched him from across the room, remaining silent. What was the point in talking, when whatever I said would probably just make matters worse? As it came, I didn't have to say anything for him to look back up at me. He did it of his own free will. Thank god. I didn't want to be the one to break the silence and get a rise out of him again. No thanks.

"Bella…" He started, his voice strangled. What the hell? Why was everyone acting so weird today? Jeesh…He opened his mouth to speak again, but no words came out. He seemed to have changed his mind almost mid sentence. Great.

"Bella, did Alice tell you anything?" He asked warily.

"Depends on what you want to know what she told me, I guess…" I said slyly. What exactly was he getting at?

"Let me narrow it down…did she tell you anything….unbelievable…even horrific?" He asked again, even more warily.

"Not really…she didn't necessarily tell me anything…especially horrific….why?" It was my turn to sound wary.

"I just wondered…there's still something I have to tell you…something that I should've told you a while ago…" He started, but stopped, scrutinizing my expression.

"What, what you were going to tell me before, but Alice interrupted?" I asked simply. He just nodded in response. I sighed.

"Tell away. I've got time." I was trying my hardest to sound at ease, but my voice wavered slightly at the end of my little spiel, giving away my nervousness. It was like my subconscious mind was playing tricks on me, making me think that he was going to tell me something…indescribable…or horrific in his terms…none of anything made sense anymore! He took a deep breath before he spoke. Looked like he was nervous, too. This couldn't be good…

"Bella, what I'm going to tell you might shock you…or scare the living daylights out of you…and I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me again…" He started slowly, thinking over each word that came from his mouth.

"Okay…" Like anything would keep me away from you. Where did that come from?

"It's about my family and I…" He went on, still ruling over his words.

"Yeah…?" I encouraged him. He took another slow breath and continued, yet again.

"We're…not what you expect….nowhere near normal…" He said, his voice becoming more wary and strangled by the second. He didn't want to tell me whatever he was getting at, this was true.

"You know…if you don't want to tell me, I really don't have to know…" This got a rise out of him.

"Yes you do! This is a matter of life or death! If you don't know, it could cost you your life!" He exclaimed. How could that be? Nothing's that serious. Seriously….is it?

"How?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Because, Bella! Every second of the day is dangerous for you! Especially when you're around us!! You seem to draw much unneeded danger to yourself as it is, then you met me!! You increased your impending death greatly! Then meeting my entire family! You have no idea how much closer you're getting to death ever second of every day, Bella!" He exclaimed again, trying to get me to comprehend.

"What? What are you talking about?! I've never even left my house before the night I met you! I was always trapped inside! No one's ever tried to hurt me before! And you can't possibly be dangerous! Just because you think you are doesn't mean you are! Nor is your family!" I was the one yelling now. I was so mad, though! How could he possibly think or know any of this?! It didn't make sense!

"You don't understand! You know you've been followed your whole life! That anyone who knows where you live will attempt to find you, by any means! You don't know any of that because your parents don't let you know! You have guards around you all the time for a reason! They wouldn't have that necessity if they didn't think you'd need it! As for us, you have no idea." He said darkly. Oh great, start being cryptic again.

"Oh, come on! Do you always have to be so cryptic?!" I said. I was getting sick of these games!

"NO! For god's sake Bella, we're vampires!!" He yelled, then left the room in a gush of wind.

WHAT?! But….that wasn't…possible…I sat on his bed, not wanting to pass out. He just told me that he….was…a…you know, a blood sucking creature of the night….but…how? That wasn't possible! It couldn't be…

But, as I thought these words, stronger words appeared in my mind. Ones that I knew made more sense and that I agree with one hundred percent; I didn't care. I didn't care that he was a vampire. It sure explained the speed and the pain he seemed to be in every time he touched me, or was merely around me…it explained everything. In a way, I knew he was a vampire from the beginning. Or at least knew he was different. But I had another thought….one that I never thought I'd think, let alone acknowledge. I was in love with him...

I was in love with a vampire.

**A/N: Okay, so it took about a month for me to actually write this, instead of the week or so I thought! It's Xmas break now, so I'll have more time to update...though I couldn't tell you how much i'll be able to right now...please review, though! I love reviews! They keep me going! I'll still write, but I still like the confidence boost most of the reviews give to me! ~EVWTForever**


	12. Chapter 12

**_I'm sorry this took so long! It's quite a long chapter, though, so I hope you enjoy it! _**

**_Disclaimer:I still don't own Twilight or anything related to Twilight! Stephenie Meyer does!_**

My mini epiphany was short lived. A few moments after the thought came into my mind, Alice was in the doorway, an odd expression on her face.

"Hi Alice." I said expressionlessly. I wasn't in the mood for an interruption.

"Oh Bella…" She started, her voice slightly strangled.

"No, Alice. I'm fine. Just…I need to think, okay?"

"Bella…remember what we talked about? You said you'd love him no matter what…" She trailed off, knowing I remembered perfectly well what she was talking about.

"And I wasn't lying. It's not that that worries me…." I stopped. There was no point going into detail.

"What worries you, Bella?" Alice asked. It was still hard to imagine any of them vampires when they gave me looks like she just did. She looked so…innocent! But….maybe they all were. Maybe they were all…different…from the vampire I'd seen in movies. I hoped, at least.

"I…well…what I'm feeling…it's…out of place." I answered hesitantly. It was true. I had no idea why I felt the way I did. But I wasn't against it, either.

"Bella, what are you feeling that's…what did you say?...out of place? That doesn't make much sense…" She stated, her voice saturated with confusion.

I sighed. "It's just…shouldn't I be terrified? Even remotely scared? Uneasy, maybe? But I'm not…I'm…confidant…" My voice grew slightly stronger at the end of my statement.

Alice looked shocked. "You're…you're not scared? Not at all? Not even knowing what we are? Nothing?" She asked, excitement seeping into her voice ever so slightly.

"No, I'm not. I don't see any threat in you and your family…you guys just don't seem to be like the typical…you know…" I said uncomfortably. I didn't know much on the topic of vampires, so I couldn't really make assumptions like I was doing. It wasn't right.

Alice again looked surprised, almost in a mocking way. "Well…you were right in that vibe, Bella. But we are still dangerous…Edward wouldn't fail to make you realize that…but we're not as big of a threat as…others…" Her tone was totally serious now. That was so out of place for Alice that I could almost laugh loud because of the contrast, but I also couldn't. Laughing was not on my list of things to do right now.

"Ot…others?" _That_ worried me!

"Yes, Bella. Would you like me to explain about the others, and also about us? A little history, if you will."

"Um…yes?" I wasn't so sure I wanted to know, but the more nosy part of me really wanted to know. Curiosity always killed the cat, after all. Mine would kill all of its nine lives. So she began without hesitation at my questioning and hesitant voice.

"When I said others, I meant the typical, 'normal' vampires. You see, my family and I are different, as you assumed. We are vegetarians, as in we don't drink from humans. We think it too barbaric, I'm sure you'd understand. The others…well…don't think that way. Their saying is 'why not drink from what is so readily offered to us? Why deny what we are?' However, Carlisle does not think that way, which we are all so thankful for." She paused for effect, then went on. "You see, we try to blend in as best we can, but it does get hard. We are still very much so attracted to the scent of human blood…some of us more than others…but the years of practice we've all had, we can withstand not being affected by its siren call. But there are times where we could…slip up…" This time she did stop, just to gauge my reaction to her last statement. Surprisingly enough, I felt nothing. Just my mere curiosity still at work. So she continued hesitantly.

"Oh Bella…It does get difficult for us…especially in very enclosed spaces…it's sometimes hard to resist…but we do…oh, we do. But, moving onto family history, it all started with Carlisle. He was born in London in the 1600's we're guessing. He didn't know specific dates back then. But his father was a priest who hunted the vampires of the London sewers and undergrounds. After his father died, Carlisle took his place as priest and also as vampire hunter. He didn't rampage around like his father, though. Oh no, he used his mind to find them easily, without killing the innocent humans. Him and a mob found a coven of them and started towards, fighting hard to kill them. In the struggled, Carlisle was bitten, but not drained, for another had distracted the vampire attacking him. So Carlisle crawled away and lay in rotting potatoes for three days. He knew what he had become, and tried feverishly to destroy himself. Skipping ahead, he learned that he could just feed off of animals, which wasn't as barbaric, seeing as humans eat meat, too. So he wandered his days doing so. He got lonely and wanted to find a companion of some sorts." She took a breath. This _was_ a very long story, after all.

"Anyways, he found Edward when he was working at a hospital when the influenza hit. His parents had already died, and he was alone. His mother had begged Carlisle to do 'anything in his power' to save him. He did. He bit him and Edward became one of us. Next to join Carlisle was Rosalie, then Esme, then Emmett and finally Jasper and I." She finally looked at me, just to see if I was with her. I nodded at her to continue.

"Well, Bella, we've come full circle now. Anything else you want to know? The basics, perhaps?" She asked curiously, the slight bit of perkiness returning to her voice.

"Um…basics are okay…" I said dumbly. She smiled.

"Well…you know of our diet….but there are other things, too. The fact we can't sleep…can't eat normal human food…basically can't reproduce…we have super speed and other senses…we don't need to breathe…and some of us have special powers, powers that not all other vampires have." She stopped there, just to see how curious I was. Then she saw my anxious expression and continued. "You see, I can see the future. Jasper can manipulate the emotions around him, which comes in handy with really wild crowds. Emmett has his strength, Rosalie her beauty. Esme's ability to love very passionately. Carlisle's wisdom and immunity to the scent of human blood…and Edward's mind reading." At that, I felt my face pale. He…could….read…my…_mind_?! Alice grinned at my expression.

"Oh Bella, there's an odd thing with his mind reading, though. He can't read _your_ mind, you see. You're the only one that that's ever happened with. It was quite frustrating for him. As you can see, he got over it, but it still irks him." She finished. Someone walked through the hall quite noisily, and we both looked toward the door. A second later, Emmett strode through, his bear like frame and all. I found myself wondering how he could get through the doorframe, with him being so muscular and all.

"Hiya Bella! So, you heard our whole family history, then?!" Oh my. He might just be the only one who could rival Alice's peppiness. That wasn't a good thing sometimes, though…maybe even all the time!

"Hi Emmett…nice to see you again…yes, I heard the whole family history..:" I didn't know what to say after that. There really wasn't anything _to_ say.

"Well, whatdya think?" He asked excitedly.

"I..um..it's very interesting?"

"What, you're not scared? He asked appalled.

"No." That I was certain.

"WHAT?! How could you not be?!" It was no longer Emmett talking. No, it was Edward. He came through the doorway without my noticing, apparently. I felt a little unnerved by his tone of voice.

"I'm just…not." I answer timidly. He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. I'd seen him do that before, now that I think about it.

"That makes no sense, Bella!" He said angrily. "We all could extremely easily kill you, and yet you stand here with absolutely not fear?!"

"Yes." I answered plainly. There was no point in going more into it than that.

"You must have no sense of self preservation, then! No normal human being would be this near to us, this unafraid in your situation! This isn't normal, Bella!" He was furious.

"Nobody said I was normal, Edward! I don't give a damn what everyone else would do! I'm not anyone else, and you rightfully know that!!" I could feel the tear welling in my eyes as I spoke, so I made sure I wasn't looking at him.

I heard him blow out a big breath he'd apparently been holding in. When I glanced at him, he was staring at Alice, an expression of anger still on his face, but slowly fading. When he finally looked away from Alice, his face was composed, but he still seemed troubled. He finally looked at me regretfully.

"Bella…I'm sorry. I was out of line. It's just…I'm not accustomed to being so close to a human, and having that human in question be so emotionless when it comes to what we are…it's just not…a natural reaction I'm accustomed to yet…" He stopped, seeming to lose the words he wanted. I sighed..

"I understand…it's just…I don't know why it's a bad thing that I'm not afraid…that doesn't mean I don't worry, but…I'm just not going to run away screaming or anything…so if you're waiting for that, don't hold your breath." I stated. It was his turn to sigh.

"Will you forgive me? It's not a bad thing that you're unafraid, but it's so different for me…please?" His voice was soft, comforting now.

"Of course." I said, but didn't move towards him, afraid I would be rejected. We both just looked at each other for a while, not bothering to include Alice or Emmett in our little moment. When I finally looked away, I saw that both Alice and Emmett were gone.

"Where did they go? When did they leave?" I asked.

"They just went downstairs and they left a couple minutes ago." His eyes never left me.

"So…what time is it?" I asked, suddenly aware that I'd probably been here a good amount of time.

"4:45. I should take you home." He said and walked towards me for the first time since he told me his secret. He held his hand out to me, and I gladly took it, smiling slightly. Her murmured something like 'peculiar human..' under his breath as he led me downstairs.

I said my goodbyes to the whole family, who wholeheartedly returned the warm goodbye, then we got into Edward's Volvo and drove back to my château.

The car ride was filled with uneasy silence. I didn't mind, though, and I didn't think he did, either. When we got to the front gate, I talked to the guard who was rather weary of Edward. He finally let us through after five minutes of my bantering.

Before I realized it, we were stopped in front of the front steps to my castle. I sighed. This day had gone by too fast. I looked at him.

"So…what now?" I asked.

"We wait for those gang members to act. We also await your brother's recovery." He stated. I was shocked. I had completely forgotten about anything to do with my family! Or my little 'problem'!

"I…I totally forgot about all that! Wow…what a long day…" I murmured. He just looked at me.

"You should get inside, Bella. It's decently late." I nodded.

"Do you know if my parents are home?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes, they are." Then his expression grew angry again. "Your father's not in a good mood. Don't talk to him, okay? He's also been drinking." I nodded mutely then got out of the car. He waited for me to get up to the door and open it before he drove away. I took two steps into the house when I was bombarded.

**_A/N: I hope you liked it! I know it kind of drags on, but it was the best I could do! SO...please review! I love reviews! And to just add a note, hence 'author's note', we're assuming that this day was Saturday. Okay, so please review, yet again! The button is calling your name!_**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Sorry! I absolutely suck at updating! I blame school! I always think about updating, but then I get busy and never get to it! So here's this chapter, in all its glory! I'm sorry if it isn't that good...I tried my best to make it decent..._**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilght related!! Never will!! (unfortunately...)_**

"Where the HELL have you been?!"

Damn. I was really hoping they wouldn't be home. Wishful thinking, yet again. I sighed then looked up at the steam filled concoction which was my father. Edward had told me to avoid him, but how could I, when he was standing right at the front door when I came in?

"Um…I was…" I started nervously.

"You were what? Sleeping around? Spending god knows how many late nights with some random guys?!" He yelled angrily. His face was beat red with fury, the vein near his forehead pulsating menacingly.

"No!! I wasn't---"

"The hell you weren't!" His furious voice belted out again, both interrupting me and shutting me up at the same time. His hands struck out and grabbed both of my shoulder blades, squeezing them so hard it felt like they would soon split in two. "Now I'll bet it'll be in the paper that my _daughter_ has been seen screwing guys around town, on the filthy, rodent filled streets!!"

"Dad—," I began again, outraged at what he was saying. How could he think that?!

"NO!! Do NOT interrupt me!! No offspring of mine will talk to me like that!!! Sleeping around!!! How DARE you?!" No inflation had come yet…he was as strong as a hurricane with his anger right now.

"I haven't slept with anyone! Dad, plea---," One of his hands released my shoulder and slapped me across the face; _hard_. I gasped, touching my cheek with the hand of my free arm. That would definitely leave a mark. I could feel tears burning on the sides of my eye sockets, and I fought to control them.

"You BITCH!! How dare you lie to me!! You are no daughter of mine!!" With that, he threw me to the marble floor with a look of utter disgust and fury strong on his face. I fell on my right hip, most likely bruising it. He'd never done anything this…hurtful before. Never. This was the first time in my life that I feared my father's fury. I feared for my _life._

I looked away from him, my tears finally spilling over, and saw my mom standing frozen on the other side of the hallway, a look of pure shock on her pale face. I looked away from her, too, focusing on the marble floor surrounding me. She just stood by and watched her only daughter being beaten to the ground? She did _nothing?!_

"John…please…we don't know she---" Her feeble voice began, but died out in fear.

"No!! Shut up, Miranda! Just shut up!! This stupid little slut means nothing to us anymore!! NOTHING!!!" He screamed and, for a second, I thought he would hit my mom, too. He didn't. He just kicked me in the stomach with the toe of his boots and stalked upstairs, yelling obscenities all the way. My mother stood frozen, doing absolutely nothing. _Nothing…_

I pushed myself off the floor, the numbness overcoming all other feelings. My own mother wouldn't do anything to help me. Her own flesh and blood, bleeding on the floor. She does _nothing. _She just stares and doesn't bother to try to stop him. No. Just let him beat the crap out of me. Who cares if he kills me? Apparently not her.

I stood slowly on account of my battered body and walked straight past my shell shocked _mother_ and up to my room. I was pretty sure my dad was too busy drinking more to come out and hurt me anymore. As I headed up the stairs, limping the whole way, I heard the strangled sob of my mom's break loose. I couldn't have felt more angry at that moment than ever before. Never had this kind of fury overtaken me so. No, I wouldn't hit her, or anyone else, but I wouldn't have this taken lightly, either. No. I was done being a mouse, being a _captive. _

I was leaving.

**Edward's Point of View:**

As I drove away, I couldn't help but feel it was wrong. I should've stayed. But why? Her father's thoughts were completely void of any significant emotions or thoughts that were harmful to her. He wasn't even thinking about her, to be perfectly honest.

As I neared the gap in the trees where our driveway was, I could suddenly see a very clear vision, courtesy of Alice, consisting of my Bella, my beautiful Bella, lying in a pool of her own blood on the marble floor in the entry way. I could also hear Alice's frantic thoughts in my head accompanying it.

_Edward, go back! Go back NOW!! She's in trouble! HUGE trouble! It's never been this bad before…he has no control…he could…I…oh god…_

She didn't have to say any more. I was already on my way back with a screech of tires as I turned sharply around.

No. This couldn't be. It wasn't….possible! But it was, if Alice saw it. I wasn't about to bet against Alice, if Bella's life was in danger. But just imagining her father even touching her…it infuriated me! I could hardly control myself as I steered back towards her house. No, I wouldn't be able to get my car in, but I would park a couple blocks over, then run to her house and see if she…

I slammed on the brakes about three blocks away from her house and was out of the car before any human could blink. My Bella would no longer suffer in that senseless house of hers. _Never again_.

I ran up trees and over the gate as quickly as inhumanly possible and burst through her window…

**Bella's Point of View:**

With a shock, I glanced up from my packing to see Edward had burst through my window, breaking the lock which had been secure only seconds ago. At that moment, I very nearly passed out from shock and…fear. The way he looked…the way his eyes flashed with fury…there was almost a fiery gleam to them…a _crimson_ gleam to them. Now I knew why vampires were usually feared…not loved.

With a gasp, I backed myself into the wall behind me, grasping a hand over my chest to attempt to calm my frantic heart. I felt like my lungs were on fire…air just wasn't very populous in my room at the time. I closed my eyes, trying to slow everything down…to just _breathe _for a minute…

I didn't realize I was crying, however, until I felt two stone cold arms wrap around me, securing me to a granite hard chest. I let him hold me. I _needed _him to. I clung to him as if it were the apocalypse and we were the only two left standing in the world.

Neither of us spoke. There was no need. All Edward did was lead me to my bed and gently sit me down in his lap, never once letting go of me. I would've preferred to stay in that silent bliss for the rest of my life and then some. The world would be so much more peaceful if there was such a world as my current one. Or a state of being, at least.

After what felt like an hour had passed, I pulled back slightly to look up at him. There was still anger in his eyes, but it had diminished to almost nothing by now. Oh, but it was still there, a slight haunting in his expression that would remain until the deed it requires is done. But what would that be? I finally spoke, for the first time since my fight with my…_father. _

"So…I'm guessing that it wasn't just happenstance that you got here right after….that, is it?" I was trying to sound playful, but my voice only came out as lethargic with a note of forced playfulness. It didn't fool him. His expression turned back to its usually hardness as I finished my last word.

"How can you just look past something like that? Just stow it away where no one will find it, including you." The anger was coming back now. I couldn't look at him anymore. I couldn't face the truth of what he was saying. That and I couldn't answer what he was asking. But it seemed he didn't require an answer, after all.

"Bella…," He started, his voice constricting to control its volume, "There has to…you can't just…," he began, then finally regained himself, giving up on constriction altogether, "You should be in shock! You should be upset…furious!! Any normal person would be!" He nearly yelled in his anger.

"I'm not normal." I said simply and picked a spot on my floor to stare at. It began to convert to many different shapes as I stared at it unblinkingly. My statement only aggravated Edward more, as it happens. His hands clenched around me for a split second, then he abruptly released me. He was on the other side of the room when I looked up in shock from his movement. He was holding the bridge of his nose. I was beginning to realize that he probably did that in his moments of irritation. Great irritation.

He looked at me finally, his eyes still stony with added wariness. "Oh Bella…you'll be the death of me! I swear you will…," He stated. His voice no longer held anger hostage. It was just…emotionless, almost. Said in a monotone. With that, I felt more depressed than I had in a while. I let out a sigh and laid back on my bed, exasperated.

"Why did you come if you think I'll be the one causing your death? And you think I have no self preservation…" I state, copying his tone. He glares.

"You know I didn't mean it that way. It was figurative. I'm so likely to lose control with you…so likely…" Sadness. Oh no. He was going back into that place where he blames himself for everything and thinks of himself so lowly. That I wouldn't tolerate.

"No. Edward, don't do this. You know as well as I do that you have enough control for this. Besides…," I stopped myself there, for fear of saying too much. He wouldn't allow that.

"What, Bella? Besides what?" I stared up at the ceiling.

"Besides…why does it matter if something…bad happens? It won't make that big of a difference…I'm just one human…" I started forcing myself to speak towards the end. It was so hard to keep my voice going at all.

"Bella…you don't understand how it would make _me _feel if this ended badly! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you at my expense! Do you have any idea how much you mean to me? Any thought at all?" He finished, his piercing eyes staring straight into my own.

"Um…," Was my brilliant answer. What could I say to something like that? No one had ever said anything like that to me before. I had no idea how to respond...except for…

"So…what does that mean? Are we…?" I questioned, my heart fluttering with the possible, and correct, answer.

"Yes, it means that I can't seem to keep myself away from you. I will never want to." Feeling like a grand pause in music for effect, he seemed to marvel over his own words as much as I did. But if I thought that my heart was erratic now, his words next made it virtually beat faster than the speed of light.

"Come with me. There's something I want you to see."

**A/N: Sorry this took so long again! I hope you're willing to forgive me enough to maybe review? I absolutely ADORE reviews, as i've mentioned...many times! Please? Pretty pretty please, with sugar on top, and a cherry? Ha! But I do really love reviews! They keep me going! So...that button is calling you... and I promise to try harder to update at a more continuous rate! I won't guarantee it, but i'll try harder!**


	14. Chapter 14

**_I know I suck! I won't bother with excuses this time, except for blaming it on my laziness! As said many times over previously, I don't own anything related to Twilight! Stephenie Meyer does!_**

We were now in Edward's car, driving to god-knows-where. All I knew was that it was very green; lush green trees, green grass, green moss…so irrevocably _green_! Even if we'd only been in the car for about…oh, I'd say fifteen minutes (no, I wasn't counting…much) I was getting oddly anxious. Anxiety from both my curiosity for where he was taking me, and over what happened not very long ago…It wasn't something I wanted to think about in all its glory right now.

Edward and I hadn't really spoken since we left my house (which consisted of him picking me up and leaping out the window). What was there to say, really? Neither of us wanted to talk about my little…'situation'….so we didn't. Our silence was perfectly comfortable.

As we drove, I became more and more curious, but not curious enough to build up the nerve to say anything to Edward. I felt nervous around him, somehow. It wasn't something I was completely sure of, this feeling, but I couldn't deny nor ignore it. So we drove on…in silence. Well, that is, until I couldn't stand it anymore and spoke.

"Okay, Edward, I can't stand it anymore! Where are we going?" I asked in a whiny tone. He looked at me with wide eyes, surprised at my abruptness, but that was to be expected.

"Oh Bella, this is supposed to be a surprise! If I told you, I would ruin that, now wouldn't I?" He said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Now that was NOT good! I couldn't stand it!

"Edward! This isn't fair!" I whined some more, just for good measure. He grinned.

"You know, you remind me of a small child at some points. It's very…cute." He replied coolly. I glared.

"Just because I'm centuries younger than you doesn't mean that I'm a child! That is so insulting!" I replied angrily. His grin dimmed to his regular half smile, while his eyes lost all their humor completely, most likely remembering the earlier incidents.

"Bella, I didn't mean to insult you. I apologize." He said sincerely.

"No, I don't mind. I was trying to be childish, really." I sigh, reminiscing. "It helps during hard times…" I say dreamily. He seems to notice my lack of consciousness.

"I suppose the events of recent aren't easy to forget." He sounded mad, which wasn't really out of place at this point. I sighed.

"I just want to forget. I knew it would happen and it happened, so I'm just going to get over it and move on." I said tonelessly. He looked at me evenly then turned his gaze back to the road slowly. He was deep in thought about something, it seemed. It remained that way the rest of the ride.

Ten minutes later, we finally reached a small dirt road near a huge forest. Edward pulled into the small dirt area and stopped the car. He looked at me finally.

"We're here." He got out. It was so abrupt that I had no time to even register what he said before he was around the car and pulling me out of my seat.

"Wait…where are we?" I asked stupidly as he set me on my feet.

"You'll soon see." He said in a monotone. Was he mad at me? What'd I say, I wondered idly.

He led me through branch and bramble, leaves and twigs for me to trip over. Many a time did he have to catch me as I stumbled, grabbing my arm and righting me before he immediately let go and resumed his walking twice the pace I walked. There was definitely something wrong.

After half an hour of walking did we finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, per se. I could see a clearing out in the distance if I focused enough.

"We're almost there." Edward idly announced as we neared this clearing. I just nodded. What was there to say to someone that was quite possibly mad at me? Absolutely nothing.

We were mere feet from this clearing when I could actually see it clearly, and oh my god, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I stopped in my tracks and stared in awe at the scene in front of me.

This scene consisted of pure sunlight lighting every little colorful flower in that meadow. The grass was a shade lighter than the grass everywhere else, and it blew lightly in the slight breeze.

"Oh. My. God." I said breathlessly. I began walking toward it slowly, mesmerized.

I walked into the middle of the meadow and tilted my face upwards, soaking up the rare sunshine. After a moment of peace did I notice that Edward wasn't with me. I glanced around frantically then spotted him over by where we were both just moments before. He was leaning against a tree now, however, looking at me. No, he was studying me. It was very odd.

"What are you doing?" I asked, not bothering to hide my anger. He was starting to irritate me! He didn't answer, but his expression turned calculating. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the sun.

After a minute, I heard a faint rustling of leaves and turned my face back towards the trees and forestry. Edward was now about two feet away from me, circling around me.

"What are you doing now?" I asked, feeling a slight sense of foreboding.

"Showing you how your reaction should have been when you first met me." He answered angrily. I glare at him.

"So you're trying to scare me? What a nice thing to do. Why did you bring me here? For this?!" I said.

"For exactly this!" He snarled. "You don't understand that I could literally kill you at any second, and you would never have any chance to escape! You'd be dead!! You don't understand what I am, so I'm showing you!"

All I could do was stare, horrorstricken. What was wrong with him?

"Yes, finally some fear!! Do you have any idea how weak you are compared to me? How dim your senses are compared to mine?" He said menacingly.

"When did I start caring?" Was my bored response. He growled and ran back to the trees we came in by and pulled one out of the ground and threw it with ease.

"Do you believe now?" He ran around the meadow and was back in front of me in a split second. "Or now?" I just stared.

"No, I don't." I said blatantly. I turned around and walked away, back into the middle of the meadow, and sat down in the grass. Edward didn't move or say anything, just stood there, holding the bridge of his nose tightly. I was beginning to think he might just break it, at this rate. I closed my eyes again.

"Bella." I heard his voice from what seemed a far distance, but I didn't think it really was. His voice had softened immensely. I didn't answer. What he did was inexcusable. Now he was right behind me.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I was just so enraged about your family and about how incredibly tolerant you are! There's no sense of self preservation in you, I swear it!" He took a deep breath then, most likely trying to keep himself out of a rant, then continued. "Even so, what I did, all of my overreacting, was inexcusable and I apologize for it." He stopped himself there, though I had the feeling there was a lot more he wanted to say. I sighed.

"I don't get why you're trying so hard to push me away. There must be something wrong—" I started but was cut short by Edward's sudden reply.

"Don't you _dare_ think that there's something wrong with _you _because of all there is wrong with _me_!! None of this has anything to do with you, Bella! All the complications come from me! I will never get over what I am, and I don't want you to, either! You need to realize that I'm not a human, Bella! That's what I was trying to prove to you before!!" Exactly. He did very well at it, if I did say so myself.

"Yes, well, you made your point perfectly clear, then! But there's something _you _don't understand, either! _I_ fully acknowledge what you are, and I choose to ignore it!!! I don't _care_ what you are, Edward! I don't! Why? Because I know you're not evil, no matter how masochistic you think you are!" By that point, I had worked myself up enough that I could feel the angry tears flowing in my eyes, too close to spilling over. I turned away from him again. All that met me was silence, which I wasn't quite sure if I welcomed or not.

"Bella, I just don't—" He started.

"No, you wouldn't, but you'll have to have some trust in me. Otherwise…I don't know why you're even here with me." The accursed tears spilled over in an endless flow.

Something seemed to click in him because in the next second he was immediately in front of me, an expression of determination dominant on his face, his arms wrapped around me. I didn't even register what he was doing, even as he stared directly into my eyes, his eyes full of question. All I did was try to reassure him, though I didn't know what for. He leaned forward.

And kissed me.

**_All right, as said at the top, my only excuse is laziness. I've had so many chances to update, but did other stuff instead. I deserve flames, I know, so i'll be prepared when I get them! I think this chapter is one of my longest ones, and it actually took me the smallest amount of time! Amazing what inspiration does to ones self! I'm sorry for being lazy, and i'll TRY to update more often! Please review, even if you hate me! ~EVWTForever_**


	15. Chapter 15

I stood in a state of shock. _How is this happening?_ I was so confused. He made every attempt to make sure I stayed away from him, and then totally contradicted his previous actions! It was all so..._frustrating! _

Of course, not frustrating enough to stop me from kissing him back. A lot. Okay, too much! He pulls away from me quickly, his face almost stricken looking. All my previous nervousness came back in a huge rush, and I stepped away from him, embarrassed for my actions.

"Well...I think...that....got out of hand..." He stated, a little breathless, though I remember Alice telling me that they technically didn't need to breathe in the first place.

"I'm...i'm sorry...I couldn't...I didn't...." I just gave up after that. What could I say? _I'm sorry i'm a complete novice when it comes to anything like a relationship_...Um, no! That wasn't going to happen! He just shook his head, though.

"No, i'm not blaming you for anything. I'm just not...accustomed to that. It's been so long..." Just the thought of Edward kissing anyone else made my blood boil ever so slightly. I wasn't a violent person by nature, but things were changing so rapidly lately... "Bella?"

"Hmm...what?" I finally got myself to withdraw from my thoughts.

"I think we should head back...the clouds are beginning to set in." I glanced up to see that, indeed, the clouds were dominating the sky. Time to go! As much as I LOVED rain...

"Okay." I still felt so nervous...I wondered if he could detect that with his 'vampire powers'? Just the thought made me shiver. Edward mistook my shiver for one of cold, and without a word, handed me his jacket.

"Thanks." I murmured. Oh my god, it _smelled_ like him. The very scent that I could never get out of my head, day in and day out. I discreetly inhaled his scent, cherishing it.

We were about halfway through our trek back to Edward's car, when he stopped suddenly, staring straight ahead as if something had caught his attention, or he suddenly thought of something.

"There's a storm coming through. We should hurry." He glanced at me, debating something. "There's a faster way to get there...Yes, we'll do that." He said, then sprang forward, grabbed me and threw me on his back. I shrieked and clung to him for dear life.

"What--what are you doing?!" His chuckle made me want to smack him. He seemed to realize that, and answered me.

"You know vampires have super human speed? Well, we're going to use that to our advantage right now, okay?"

"You could've asked me that _before_ you threw me on your back like a backpack!" He was outright laughing now. The nerve of him! "Oh, fine! Let's just go!" He grinned at his victory.

"Hold on tightly, little one." With a last glance at me, he turned around and the world flashed by me as though I was in a very fast speeding car. The dizziness was setting in already. _Oh god, please don't get sick..._ I kept telling myself.

Suddenly, we stopped. Right next to his car, I might add. I was too awestruck to let go of him. I just clutched him in my death grip, staring at the car astonishingly.

"Bella? You can get off now. We're here." I could just hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yeah...I...saw that. I'm...working on it..." I said between my gasps for air. The world was still spinning so nauseatingly.

"Do you need help?" He asked worriedly.

"Um...help would be nice, thanks..." Oh jeez, it was just getting worse! He gently reached around and slowly swung me around so I was looking into his eyes instead of the back of his head. Then he gently unclenched my arms from around his neck and lowered me to the ground.

"Are you dizzy?" He asked, then seemed to not need an answer, for he continued on. "Put your head between your legs and breathe slowly and thoroughly." Even if I didn't like taking orders, he wasn't technically ordering me to do anything, and I _really _wanted to make the spinning go away, so I did as I was told. It did help, too.

"Better?" He asked, now kneeling on the ground so he could look into my eyes as I lifted my head.

"Much. Thanks." I smiled slightly to reassure him. He smiled his lopsided smile back.

"Looks like we'll need to get you accustomed to the speed, won't we? I'm sure you'll get used to it in time." I didn't miss how he leaned a little closer to me.

"Um...I...it wasn't ALL that bad...I did feel a sort of...rush...at some points. I'm sure i'll get used to it...eventually." I hoped. He kept smiling though, and leaned forward just slightly more.

"I'm glad." He paused, as though he was going to add something, when a crack of thunder blasted, making me jump. He was outright grinning now. "We should probably get in the car. It's about to rain."

"Oh, don't tell me you're psychic like Alice now!" I said teasingly. He rolled his eyes.

"I have a keen sense of smell, Bella, and the smell of rain is getting stonger. I'm sure even you could smell it now!" Oh, this was war!

"_Even_ me, huh?" I rolled my eyes at him now. He started laughing again. "That is _so _insulting! Just wait, you'll never see it coming..." I found myself giggling by the end of my sentence, making it way less effective, but I couldn't help it!

"Oh, dear lord! I can't even imagine the perils that could awaken from my little human girl! I'll need to appoint Emmett as my body guard!" He was laughing outright now, sounding more joyous than I'd ever heard him before. I felt my heart lighten at his happiness.

"You should! He's the only protection you'll get from my wrath!" More laughter, including my own. I could feel my sides aching! "Haven't you ever hear that a woman is the more perilous thing in the world?

"Of course I have! Emmett and Japser never fail to inform me of _that _fact!" I stuck my tongue out at him as I walked over to the passenger side of the car. He beat me to it, of course, opening my door just as I got there. I rolled my eyes at him and plunked myself in there. He shut the door right as I was buckling my seat belt, and got in on the driver's side. The rain started to fall immediately after he shut his door.

"Wow, that's magic, right there! Or was it luck?" I asked, still teasing a little. He smiled slightly.

"A little of both, I do believe." He started the car and started driving at his crazy speed back to his house. Then started our laughter and teasing filled drive home.

Once we got to the Cullen household, I could already feel the tension from Edward's stiff form.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. He glanced at me, the laughter and happiness not even a shadow on his face anymore.

"Something bad has happened." Was all he said. God, I hated when he did this! I said nothing, though. He was tense enough as it was.

We both got out of the car at the same time. For once, he didn't open my door to let me out. I was kind of grateful for it, too. I walked beside him up the porch steps. Before we entered the house, Alice opened the door, looking drawn.

"What's going on, Alice?" She was my best bet for information of any of them. She shook her head.

"Too much, Bella. Come on, we all need to talk." I'd never heard her so sullen and serious before. It worried me. I took Edward's hand as we walked into the house. I was very glad he didn't pull away.

As we got through the front door and closed it, I could see the entire Cullen family gathered in the living room, all wearing the same expression as Alice. I never remembered feeling so scared in my life. Whatever could have seven vampires this upset couldn't be good.

Little did I know just how severe it really was.

**A/N: Yes, I know! It's been forever! I'm just lazy! We had a snow day today, so it was the perfect opportunity to write, non? So that's exactly what I did! I'm hoping to have the next chapter out this weekend or so, but don't hold me to that! So, yet again, I hope you liked this chapter, and i'm hoping for some reviews, even though I know it's been too long to hope for too much! ; ~EVWTForever**


	16. Chapter 16

"Do we all understand the severity of this situation?" Carlisle said after Edward and I sat down at the couch. Everyone else was standing quite rigidly.

Everyone except me nodded. I had no idea what anyone was talking about before we walked in, so I just sat there, squirming. Edward glanced at me, but said nothing, worry and anger creasing his brow. Alice noticed my clear lack of knowledge as well, for she walked over to me and sat beside me on the couch, gearing up to tell me the entire story.

"Okay, Bella. What i'm about to tell you will be...horrific, to say the least. This isn't something too out of the ordinary for us, but for you...it's different. I'm warning you of this to make sure you can control your feelings and hear me out while i'm talking. Do you understand?" The serious voice remained. It made me nervous.

"Yes. I'll...control myself." I didn't even glance at Edward to know that he was angry, but I didn't have too. His entire body went rigid at every word Alice spoke. He immediately cut in, his tone biting.

"No, Alice." He growled. I sank slightly into the couch, fear weaving itself into my cousciousness.

"She has the right to know, Edward!" Alice growled back. I could tell that she'd already won this little battle from the moment she spoke. Edward got up and stormed out of there, muttering many colorful curses on his way. I heard a door slam as he left. Well, damn. What could be so bad that Edward wouldn't want me to know?

"Now then, let's move on." Alice began, not the least bit perturbed by Edward's outburst. I looked at Alice, awaiting her news. "Earlier today, when it was storming here, we were playing baseball. In the middle of the game, three nomadic vampires appeared. We let them play with us, as was Carlisle's wish, and then we came back here." She sighed, looking sad about everything she was saying, but she continued. "When the nomads entered this house, they could smell you, Bella. Your scent is everywhere around here...it's very strong, as well. That was an..." She seemed so grieved by this...it broke my heart to see her so miserable. "Oversight of ours. We should've known that they'd smell you...i'm so sorry, Bella. If I had any idea they'd catch your scent...I would never have allowed them here in the first place." She looked so close to tears, even if she couldn't cry. I felt so bad that I had to interrupt her.

"Alice, it's not your fault! It's okay...it's not like anything bad happened---"

"No, Bella! You don't understand! What i'm saying is...well, once the blonde one...James...caught that first whiff of your scent, he wanted you. No, he wanted your _blood._ He's a hunter, Bella. He will not stop until he has you. You don't understand how very life-threatening this is! He's hunting you, Bella!" She almost yelled. She was frantic with fear. I'd never imagined Alice could ever be this way, nor any of the other vampires in the house. They all mirrored her fear except for Rosalie, who looked angry. Lovely.

"But...you guys didn't...didn't try to stop him? There's nothing that could be done?..." I asked timidly, already knowing the answer.

"Oh god, Bella, we tried...we tried so hard! He would and will not be deterred! God, Bella...we've got to get you out of here! We've already wasted enough time..." She trailed off, then ran upstairs. Jasper followed her. Carlisle watched them go, then turned to me.

"Bella, we will keep you safe, we promise. We won't let this vampire hurt you. But you have to get as far away from here as possible. It's not safe." His eyes gleamed with sadness and worry.

"But...you said there were two others...what of them?" I asked, looking at the floor. I glanced back up at him when he started talking.

"The other two left. Their names are Laurent and Victoria. We believe that Victoria is James's mate, from the way they acted towards each other earlier today." He searched my face and frowned. "You're worried. Don't worry, we'll take care of this." He stepped forward and grasped my shoulder for a second, then released it.

"I'm not worried about myself...this has to be dangerous for all of you, as well...I don't want you all risking your lives for me!" I couldn't stand if one of them got hurt trying to protect me. It ripped at my heart at the very thought...

"You're damn right it's dangerous for us! If you weren't in our lives, we wouldn't have this problem!!" Rosalie roared, even as Emmett tried to calm her. She pushed him away from her and stormed up the stairs faster than I could register. Emmett sighed and followed, looking apologetically at me. My eyes filled with tears. _She was right. This was all my fault. All of it..._I looked back down. Nobody had to see me cry. Alice came back downstairs and wrapped her arms around me loosely for a second, then withdrew them as quickly. The comfort was there, though.

"Ignore her, Bella. She's always dramatic." Alice murmured. I just nodded, trying to make the tears in my eyes go away. As I did so, Carlisle began to speak again.

"I know this is hard, Bella. This..." He sighed, glancing out the window. At what, I didn't know. The silence rang in the room. After a couple minutes, I heard the door thrown open, making me jump. Edward stormed back in, the anger on his face unchanged.

"What are we going to do?" He asked harshly.

"_We're_ going to fix this. If you're just going to storm off while she needs you most, then fine! But _we'll_ actually help her!" Alice exclaimed. Edward fumed at her.

"What are we supposed to do, Alice?! He won't stop hunting her for a mere second! She's only prey to him!"

"Then we'll have to stop him, won't we?" Alice stated, glancing at Carlisle, who nodded.

"It's the only way, Edward. We'll need to get her clear of here, then we'll hunt him ourselves." Carlisle sounded grave, but focused. I had to admit that I felt safe with him. Edward growled.

"I'll have his head!!" He roared. I cringed into the couch even more. Alice sighed.

"Look what you're doing, Edward. You know how to control yourself, so do it!!" She glared at him and he glared straight back at her for a couple of seconds, then he looked away from her and straight into my eyes. When I didn't look away, he did, closing his eyes completely and pinching the bridge of his nose, attempting to calm himself. After what seemed like a lifetime, he sighed, free of his total rage. He was still angry, of course, but he held his anger at bay.

"Bella..." He paused, debating what his next words would be, most likely. "I need to get you out of here. Out of this country! I will ensure that you are safe, Bella. No one will harm you." He said his last sentence with a tremulous note in his voice. He was passionate about ensuring my safety. I felt on the verge of tears from the sweetness of what he said.

"I...I know...but...you'll get hurt...if he's this strong...this _dangerous_, he'll hurt you. He'll hurt all of you! I can't..." I couldn't finish, for fear that i'd burst into tears.

"We're vampires, Bella. He won't hurt us." His fingers stroked my face protectively. After a moment, he let his hand rest on my cheek, staring into my eyes. He seemed to see something in there and let his hand slide down to my own. He pulled me up to a standing position and held me against his side, his protectiveness still holding strong. He looked at Carlisle as though they were conversing, then Edward nodded.

"We leave tonight. Bella, if you have anything to take with you, go get it. You're leaving with Alice and Jasper in five minutes." Edward told me. I sighed.

"I don't have anything with me---" Right as I finished my sentence, Alice came down the stairs with a bag. I hadn't even noticed she left!

"You have clothing and stuff in this bag, Bella. We should get going." She walked out the door with the bag, and Jasper, in tow. Everyone else began talking about what they would do. Emmett ran down the stairs, yelling at the top of his lungs that he'd be in the hunting party. Edward said he'd be, too. Carlisle would also be in that party. Esme was going to try to disguise my scent with hers, so we exchanged our clothes in a bathroom upstairs.

Once we were done, and Esme had been through telling me not to worry and that everything would be all right, we descended the stairs and I walked straight to Edward, who was waiting for me. He pulled me to him and kissed me passionately, as though treasuring me. When he finally broke our kiss, I was blushing slightly. He'd just kissed me in front of his family, after all!

"Be safe, Bella." He whispered, kissing my forehead, leaving his lips to rest there for a moment, before pulling away. "I'll come get you after it's done." His arms tightened around me, reluctant to let me go.

"Edward?...I love you." I stammered through my choked up voice.

"Oh Bella...you are my life now." He held me against his chest tightly. "I love you, too. Be cautious, don't do anything stupid. Never leave Alice or Jasper's sight, do you hear me?" Ha! Like I could ever lose two vampires!

"Yes..." Alice walked in and grabbed my arm, gently tugging me away from Edward. I missed him already. I glanced at Alice, who was leading me toward a sleek black car of some sort, then glanced back to where Edward and I were standing. He was gone.

I got into the back of Alice and Jasper's car. I realized I was crying.

This was the start of our long road trip, fleeing my death.

**A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter! I think it's either longer or as long as my previous one...but I made good on my promise! I'm surprised as you are, I know! Please review! ~EVWTForever**


	17. Chapter 17

**I still don't own anything!**

The trip was long and uneventful. Everything passed by in one never-ending blur. Nothing truly registered; it wasn't important enough for my subconscious to waste its time analyzing. The sun in my world of dreary rain was far away, who knows where, in grave peril, while I was sitting in the back seat of this stupid black car, driven by Jasper with Alice in the passenger seat. I hadn't spoken a single word since we'd left. I knew I was being dramatic and moody, but I had just cause! They still haven't, after all, told me where our final destination would be, so why talk to them? There'd be nothing to talk about, anyway.

We passed by many average country houses and people. I knew we were still in Sweden, but at least three hours from my home. I hadn't been exposed to normal life much. I had always felt melancholy about that, but it was always too dangerous for a 'girl like me' to linger among the 'common people'. I'd never felt so completely lost in my entire life. These people lived such ordinary, busy lives with way more hardship than one such as myself had every begun to experience! It was a miracle I could actually see these people for what they really were: people. My parents had always seen them as 'commoners' or 'the poor' people, but never truly as equals. I never liked how we'd simply lorded over all the other people of this country, but what could a young, shy princess do about such things? It was never I who had the power, after all.

I hardly realized when we passed into Norway. I never really knew the place, true, but I _did_ recognize it for what it was. But while I was acknowledging that, I was debating why Alice and Jasper would take me here, of all places in the world. It made absolutely no sense to me!

We finally stopped at a grand hotel after being in Norway for about half an hour. I glanced around, taking in as much as I could, trying to somehow force the name of our location to randomly pop into my head, which, to my dismay, didn't work.

It was a cloudy day, so Alice and Jasper didn't have to hide under wraps, if you know what I mean. They didn't let their guards down, of course, but they didn't have to be _as_ guarded. They both simply got out of the car and parted ways, Jasper going into the hotel to get the room, and Alice opening my door and giving me an odd look. I raised an eyebrow at her and got out stiffly. We had been in the car for a very long time, after all!

Alice sighed. "Are you going to say anything at all to us for the rest of our time together, or just simply wallow?"

I glance at her and roll my eyes. "I just don't feel so much like talking, okay?"

She rolls her eyes back at me. "Nice excuse, but it's not working for me." But she doesn't push the subject and grabs both her and my suitcase from the trunk of the car and slams it shut.

As we walked into the hotel, I couldn't help but feel anxious, being in a public environment I'd almost never been in. I felt like the entire world was watching me, recognizing me as the princess I wished I never was. I ducked my head and only glanced up slightly as I walked, making sure I at least tried to remain incognito.

We met Jasper inside and headed to the elevator. We had a suite at the very top level, of course. Vampires and their money! It wasn't like my family didn't have money, but they didn't keep that fact under many locks! And I definitely thought that, as we entered the suite. It was better than any normal hotel room i'd seen on TV, that's for sure!

Since there were two separate rooms with attached bathrooms, I got to have one to myself. I was relieved, to say the least. I just wanted to be alone and wallow without an audience. I grabbed my bag from Alice and threw it in the room within my closest reach. From my peripheral vision, I saw both Alice and Jasper looked at each other worriedly and solemnly. I'd probably get a visit from the two of them later.

I set my bag down on a chair and immediately dropped myself down onto the queen sized bed. I felt exhausted, even though i'd been sleeping way more than I usually did. I lied there, thinking about so many things: my brother, my parents, my life until now, and Edward. I worried ceaselessly about him. God, he could be killed and it would be all my fault!

I got out my laptop, out of habit. I always took it out when I was bored, and was eternally grateful to Alice for packing it. I logged onto it after about the five minutes it took to boot up, then logged onto my email. I had three new messages. One was from my brother, which simply went:

**Bella, where are you? I don't know what happened, but you have to come back! Please, _please _email me back so I at least know you're alive! Please!**

**Ben**

I sighed. I didn't know how much I was allowed to tell him, but I could at least respond to his pleas and let him know I was alive, couldn't I? So I did.

**Ben,**

**I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm not coming back. Ever. But if you yourself want to meet with me sometime, maybe we can set up a private time and location. I'm sorry, but I can't go home to _him_ anymore. I just _can't._**

**~Bella**

I sent the message and moved onto the next one, which was from my mom, basically sobbing over my absence and inquiring as to where I was and telling me to come home and that he 'didn't mean it' and 'it will never happen again!'. I could beg to differ! I deleted the message and moved onto the next. It was from a blocked email address that just showed up as 'Unknown'. I felt uneasy, but my awful curiosity made me open it, anyways. It read:

**You know you can't escape. Not even your vampire 'friends' can trace me as well as I can hunt you. You might not recognize me now, but trust me, you will. And you'll also do as I say, or i'll make sure your dear brother never sees the light of day again. Pity, pity. Such a waste of a newly beginning adult male's life! It was so close to ending once before, so i'm sure it won't be as shocking for him this time, when it is final. Meet me at your old home in Norway, and we'll have a little 'chat', shall we? And if you tell any of your 'friends', i'll make sure he dies faster, with the added bonus of those trying to stop me!**

And that was it. I was being blackmailed. I checked the date and time the message was received and realized that it was sent two minutes after Ben had sent his. Everything inside me went stone cold and I paled. This couldn't be happening! I didn't even know this guy, and he was going to kill my brother!

I shut down my laptop, put it back in my bag, then settled down back on my bed rigidly. _This can't be happening! It just can't be...what am I going to do? Ben doesn't deserve this...he's hardly lived yet! God, I can't deal with this...what am I going to do?_ But as I completed that thought many times over, Alice walked in and closed the door behind her. I tried my hardest to act naturally, though it was definitely hard! But she couldn't know...

"Bella, what's going on? I know you're upset and worried, but that doesn't explain your obvious discomfort and exaggerated silence." She sits on the end of my bed lightly, her eyes never leaving my face. Could she see my secret?

"I'm fine. Nothing is 'going on'. I'm just worried, really. And it's just odd being in Norway again, after so many years. I've never been comfortable here...I don't really know why. It's fine." I fight the entire time to keep my voice steady.

Alice studies me for a moment, and then her eyes widen in shock. "You're lying. Why are you lying to me, Bella?"

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are! What happened, Bella?" She was starting to sound frantic. I couldn't tell her! I had to think of something...

"It's just...it's just my brother! He emailed me, wondering where I was and if I was alive, and I responded! I just feel a little guilty! I didn't tell him where I was or anything, but...I don't know. I told him i'd like to meet up with him eventually. I didn't want him to think I was dead, okay?" I closed my eyes tightly, trying to shut out Alice's still frantic face.

"Bella..." She murmurs, calming slightly. "I know how you feel, but that probably wasn't the best idea...emails can be traced, especially by people who have a lot of money to pay off the very few people who can do that. Oh, Bella..." I opened my eyes and saw her close hers slowly, like she was trying to relax and think.

"I...sorry, Alice." I couldn't think of anything more to say. I stared up at the bland white ceiling, my mind, for once, completely blank.

Alice opens her eyes. "We'll just watch your email and make sure no tracing particles can be found. Let's hope we don't find anything." She gets up and heads toward the door, then stops suddenly and turns around. "Bella?"

I look up at her, confused. "Yeah?"

Her eyes focus finitely on mine, which puts me in unease instantly. "If anything happened, anything at all...like someone saying something to you or...threatening you...you would tell me, right?"

Every alarm in my being was going off, flashing major warning signs around in my mind, It took every ounce of my being to stay calm and put on a confused front, but I just barely managed it.

"Of course."

She stares straight into my eyes a little longer, then seems to come to some conclusion and she finally walk through the door, closing it behind her.

Right after she leaves, I bury my face in my pillow and lose myself to my stifled sobs. I had lied to her so many times today, and everyone was in danger because of me! I had to get out of here. I had to go save my brother.

I had to leave before Alice and Jasper read that email.

**A/N: I know, it's been forever since i've updated this story! I had to re read most of it to refresh my memory! I couldn't remember much about Ben except that he kind of just dropped out of the story...so I put him back in! I'm hoping i'll update at least weekly before school starts, but no guarantees! Please review! I know this chapter is bland, but it's more of a filler than anything.**


	18. Disclaimer

**Hi everyone,**

**I don't expect anyone to really be reading this story anymore, since i've been AWOL for a while now. I just kind of lost the inspiration to write this story, though I have looked at it occasionally. I just wanted to say i'm sorry for not saying anything of the status of the story, so now I will: The story is unfinished and will remain that way indefinitely, i'm afraid, because I don't know if i'll ever add to it/complete it. I no longer remember much about this story, so I have to go through it and see if I can still be inspired to write more. Honestly, i'd rather write a totally new story rather than finish one I wrote a (seemingly) long time ago, but as I said, if inspiration strikes...**

**Anyways, I apologize again for not updating at all about what happened with this story, and all I can say right now is that I can't guarantee that I'll finish the story or that I won't.**

**~Elizabeth (EVWTForever)**


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